Interesting, but nothing really new... | Infection: The Uninvited Universe

On Infection, the uninvited universe | Infection: The Uninvited Universe | Ph.D. Gerald N. Callahan

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	• Infection: The Uninvited Universe Ph.D. Gerald N. Callahan St. Martin's Press, 2006 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 6 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Superb

It has been a while since I read this. But I am very fond of this little book and thought I would leave some feedback.

This is a brilliant book. Written to be accessible by any reader in what is a compelling tour of pathology by way of mixing fact with personal story. Most importantly, the author integrates these facts and stories to give the reader a scientific perspective that I can only describe as a pious experience.
The layperson will leave this book with an improved perspective and appreciation for the interaction between macro and microbiology, and the mosaic of humanity at all levels.

I would recommend Matt Ridely's The Red Queen as a good follow up read. Or perhaps Carl Zimmers Parasite Rex.

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Interesting, but nothing really new...

This book is well-written and covers the topic, but it lacks that sharp perspective, wit, and new ideas that really great books of this type have. There's not really anything here you couldn't find anywhere else, and presented more in-depth. It reads as rather a quick overview; perhaps I've read so many of these kinds of books that I expect a more focused and in-depth treatment of the subject. I have no complaints about this book and wouldn't tell you not to buy it, but I will tell you that there are better, more interesting ones.

On Infection, the uninvited universe

On Infection, the uninvited universe by Gerald N. Callahan (2006)

All thoughtful & interested persons should read this book. It certainly is -or should become- one of the lasting & significant treatise of the 21st century.

Callahan, a professor of Microbiology, Immunology, & Pathology and English (!) at Colorado State University, has crafted an articulate & startling vision that is both science & metaphysic. Both a 'what' and a 'what does it mean?'. His science is rock-solid and his synthesis of the facts is inspired & profound.

In this succinct, pretty straight-forward explanation of disease processes & history, pandemics, friendly & essential micro-organisms, and the structure & function of immunity, Callahan presents a striking claim: Our immune systems are the evolutionary source of our 'selves'. He is not speaking metaphorically but literally: without an immune system, persons would not -could not- exist. Our antibodies create & maintain us as 'I'.

The added benefit of Infection is it's fun to read. Its rich admixture of anecdote, theory & pedagogy make each page an adventure.

I've been buying copies for my family & friends (even my dentist) so I have someone to discuss it with.

As a companion to this. I'd also recommend Callahan's Faith, Madness & Spontaneous Human Combustion. It is less focused (or perhaps just differently focused) than Infection, but no less satisfying.

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Informative, but Ultimately Uninspiring

Perhaps it was because I enjoyed Prof. Callahan's other work, "Faith, Madness and Spontaneous Human Combustion" that this one left me flat. Callahan's treatment of the immune system in that book was awesome, gripping and truly inspiring. I rate it as one of the best reads I have ever undertaken. Yet while he has a lot of interesting facts laid out in 'Infection: The Universal Universe,' and presents them in (usually) a warm and readable manner, this book simply doesn't inspire like the mentioned work on the immune system. Not only that, but he can't help sliding into politically correct dogma on occasion, a habit that is very distracting to me. The offense is only occasional and mild, but ends up taking something away from the overall credibility a writer must work so hard to gain and maintain.

I did not really enjoy reading this book, though I learned a tidbit or two.

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Our bacteria, our friends

We live in times where people think of the microbial world as the enemy to be defeated at all costs. Almost daily we are accosted by headlines proclaiming the dangers of Avian Flu or Methicillin resistant Staph aureus or MRSA. As a physician, I am called on to lead this charge against these microscopic invaders.

But wait, Callahan says, this relationship between human and microbe is not so simple. We are in fact dependent upon the uncountable microbes that live within us and upon us to keep us healthy. From this book, I learned how important these fellow travelers are for our own normal development. Perhaps our obsession with cleanliness and our excessive use of antibiotics should be reconsidered.

The vast majority of microbes live symbiotically with us. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Only a select few seek to destroy us, and that often only by accident, for it is rarely in the best interest of a parasite to destroy its host. Furthermore, our overuse of antibiotics is clearly the main cause of the rise of "superbugs", which can evolve resistance to antibiotics in a matter of days. Should we not consider carefully whether the antibiotics we take or the antibiotics we put into our food supply are not, in the long run, creating more problems than they are solving?

Callahan spells out the complex and often confusing relationship we have with the microcosmos in this well researched and entertaining book. He asks very important questions that we need to consider in our daily lives and in our public health policies.

Read this book and take a thrilling ride into this invisible universe.

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Gerald Callahan, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Immunology and the Public Understanding of Science with appointments in the departments of Pathology and of English at Colorado State University?the first person at the university to hold such a joint appointment. He is the author of over fifty academic articles and two books (River Odyssey, an essay collection about exploring Colorado, and Faith, Madness, and Spontaneous Human Combustion, an essay collection about the immune system). He has also published numerous poems and essays in reviews around the country and has appeared on National Geographic television and ABC national news. He has won awards for his scientific and literary writing and teaching. He lives in Fort Collins with his wife and three dogs. We use antibacterial soap to wash our hands. We swab our doorknobs and phones with antibacterial wipes. We pop antibiotics at the first sign of disease?all because of our fear of infection. But we are all infected. From before birth until after death, infection is what makes us human. Veteran immunologist, essayist, award-winning scientist, and author Gerald N. Callahan explores our infectious world to reveal incredible discoveries in the study and treatment of infectious diseases: ?Infection plays a significant role in many chronic ailments, including schizophrenia, gastric ulcers, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. ?Physicians are successfully treating gastrointestinal and other human diseases by infecting their patients with parasitic worms. ?Antibiotic overuse and a false sense of security have led to the resurgence of several diseases we thought were conquered and have created new threats. Infection is an informative look at the microorganisms that ensure our health and sometimes take it from us. For better or worse, infection shapes our lives. "The good, the bad and the ugly in the world of infection, introducing the microorganisms that are essential to life, those that complicate it and those with the potential to destroy it. Callahan praises the beneficial germs that inhabit us and surround us. To those bent on sterilizing their surroundings in the interest of health?thanks to Pasteur, we have come to think of germs as the enemy?he offers some startling facts: Over 90 percent of the cells in our bodies are bacteria, and even that remaining ten percent contain bacteria. Having informed the reader of the key role played by bacteria in the evolution of mankind and in our continued well-being, he moves on to the darker side. When the balance between our host bodies and their resident microbes is disturbed, immunological diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, result. And while most bacteria are benign, there are rogues to contend with. Infectious diseases, which include anything caused by a bacterium, a parasite, a fungus, a virus or a prion, are the leading cause of death in developing countries, and the leading cause of illness in developed countries. While antibiotics were once thought to have conquered infectious diseases, Callahan reminds the reader of the havoc still created by respiratory infections, diarrhea, tuberculosis, malaria and measles, and he notes the emergence of AIDS, SARS, mad-cow disease and the West Nile virus. Of the coming pandemic of influenza, he says, 'We are standing in the path of a firestorm we can do nothing about, not even imagine.' In the author's view, it is not a question of if, but of when. Add to this the threat of bioterrorism utilizing anthrax, plague, ricin and whatever else genetic engineering concocts, and the story becomes dark indeed . . . [H]uman-interest stories and vivid accounts of historic events enliven his text."?Kirkus Reviews "Microbiologist-pathologist Callahan has compelling news. Only about 10 percent of the cells of a human body can be called human. The remainder are bacteria. This is a good thing, for without these bacteria, we would surely die. It is the vastly underrated microbiotic system that sustains and even enables life. Lacking a complete set of healthy bacteria allowing us to digest food and fend off illness, individual existence would be impossible. Largely responsible for strengthening the immune system, these good germs ought to be sought after and nourished, Callahan says. Pointing to a number of illnesses, from asthma to acute lymphoblastic lymphoma, that can be at least partially linked to a lack of exposure to certain bacterial infections, Callahan makes a case for lackadaisical housekeeping. Not so sloppy as to foster the germs that deliver infectious diseases such as malaria, AIDS, SARS, or influenza, however, any of which might deal the ultimate blow that cleanses the planet of humanity. Callahan writes of an at-times unpleasant topic in clear, reader-friendly language."?Booklist

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