Parasites: Home

First published in 1998, here are the surprisingly fascinating stories of seven diseases that changed the course of human history - updated to reflect new medical and social developments.

New treatments, new tests, and new insights into health and disease have resulted in an unprecedented explosion in medical terminology. The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary provides students, health care professionals, and general consumers interested in medical vocabulary with a comprehensive reference that reflects the most recent developments in medicine and health care delivery. More than 45,000 clear, concise definitions are included, covering diseases and conditions (avian influenza, gender dysphoria), treatments (cosmeceutical, fusion inhibitor), and microorganisms (norovirus). Hundreds of entries for commonly prescribed and over-the-counter medications are also featured. Informative illustrations and tables complement the text. Entries are written in a straightforward style at an appropriate level of technical detail without the inclusion of overly academic terminology. Sophisticated enough for the medical professional but accessible to the general user, this book demystifies the complex vocabulary of health care. Biographical entries describe the contributions of leading scientists and physicians from ancient times to the present. With its comprehensive treatment of all medical specialties, including alternative medicine, genetics, and geriatrics, The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary is an indispensable reference for anyone interested in modern medicine.

As a physician who has spent nearly two decades chasing bugs all over the world from Ebola in Uganda, to polio in Pakistan, to SARS in Toronto leading epidemiologist and public-health doctor Bonnie Henry offers three simple rules to help people avoid getting sick: clean your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, and stay at home when you have a fever. It all boils down to basic hygiene. In this compelling book, Dr. Henry gives a lively account of the evolution of common sickness. She takes readers on a tour through the halls of Microbes Inc., a global "corporation" that has evolved and adapted over billions of years to rule the earth. From viruses to bacteria to parasites and fungi, Dr. Henry profiles the threats and dispels some of the common myths and misinformation about good and bad bugs to bestow upon readers the most important measures needed to keep themselves and their families healthy.

IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites control the minds of their hosts, sending them to their destruction.IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites are masters of chemical warfare and camouflage, able to cloak themselves with their hosts' own molecules.IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE parasites steer the course of evolution, where the majority of species are parasites.WELCOME TO EARTH.For centuries, parasites have lived in nightmares, horror stories, and in the darkest shadows of science. Yet these creatures are among the world's most successful and sophisticated organisms. InParasite Rex,Carl Zimmer deftly balances the scientific and the disgusting as he takes readers on a fantastic voyage. Traveling from the steamy jungles of Costa Rica to the fetid parasite haven of southern Sudan, Zimmer graphically brings to life how parasites can change DNA, rewire the brain, make men more distrustful and women more outgoing, and turn hosts into the living dead.This thorough, gracefully written book brings parasites out into the open and uncovers what they can teach us about the most fundamental survival tactics in the universe.