Professor Dorothy Crawford's book gives us historical biographies of microbes that have caused human disease on a grand scale: bubonic plague and the Black Death, cholera, HIV, malaria, severe acute respiratory syndrome, smallpox, syphilis, tuberculosis, typhus and yellow fever are her major villains.
Deadly Companions reveals how closely microbes have evolved with us over the millennia, shaping human civilization through infection, disease, and deadly pandemic. Beginning with a dramatic account of the SARS pandemic at the start of the 21st century, Dorothy Crawford takes us back in time to follow the interlinked history of microbes and humanity, offering an up-to-date look at ancient plagues and epidemics, and identifying key changes in the way humans have lived--such as our move from hunter-gatherer to farmer to city-dweller--which made us ever more vulnerable to microbe attack. Showing that how we live our lives today--with increased crowding and air travel--puts us once again at risk, Crawford asks whether we might ever conquer microbes completely. Among the possible answers, one thing becomes clear: that for generations to come, our deadly companions will continue to influence our lives like ebola.
Dorothy H. Crawford has been Assistant Principal for Public Understanding of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. She is author of the book, VIRUS HUNT . Her previous books include The Invisible Enemy, Deadly Companions, and Viruses: A Very Short Introduction.
