Parasitic-Diseases Books

As the author ends his tale from this introductory look into the world of parasites, "If we want to succeed as parasites, we need to learn from the masters." Yes, from one ecological point of view, the two-legged race acts as if it is a parasite. If true, then we can indeed learn a lot from these microscopic fellows that have a few hundred million years head start, up or down, the evolutionary path :)

Besides just the introduction of, let us say, the gross aspects of parasites, there are also quite a few benefits to many types parasites in the animal kingdom. As such and from my perspective, the highlight of this fine effort was in the last 1/3 of the book with Chapters 6 (Evolution From Within), Chapters 7 (The Two-Legged Host), and Chapters 8 (How To Live In A Parasitic World). Here we learn about some of those parasitic benefits. While reading, I wished that the chapters went on further and gave me more anecdotes. Nevertheless, it would appear that the right balance of either the small or large ecosystem can benefit with less pesticides if we indeed learn from the parasites.

I read the 2001 paperback of the 2000 book. It is very well written, which can't be said about all books on the topic. It is clear, at times funny, macabre, eye-opening, repulsive due to topic, fascinating and thought provoking.

Parasites outnumber other forms of life 4:1, are much more ubiquitous than commonly thought, have been essential for evolution and have directly influenced human DNA. (Not even considering mitochondria getting integrated in most forms of life.) Parasites make it necessary to revise the tree of life into a bush of many merging branches. Human cells within the average human are outnumbered by a factor of ten by non-human cells. Getting knowledgable about parasites is much more important a topic than the obvious peculiar yuk effect. Though I promise you that this book will fulfill the latter to the fullest as well.

I thought I knew a bit about parasites. For example those wasps which lay eggs in other invertebrates. To begin with, I didn't know that there were some 200,000 parasitic wasp species out there. I had also no idea, how EXACTLY some of them work. Like the species, whose two eggs, one female, one male, subdivide in the host, to produce ever more eggs, with the females developing into different classes of maggots, such as the soldier maggots whose only job it is to kill other parasitic wasps' maggots in the host - and all but one of the male siblings. Or that the social parasite, the cuckoo baby is able to mimic the sound of a CHOIR of eight singing host bird babies and the sign stimulus of as many youngsters in the nest to the parents' eyes. (Though the book doesn't mention that some birds cannot be fooled anyway and depose of the cuckoo (egg) and also doesn't mention that the near-by cuckoo parents may retaliate by killing all the hosts' surviving kids...) Or that there is something like plant bacteria, not as in bacteria of plants, but as in green bacteria. Being an essential part (originally parasite) of the parasite named "bad-air" aka malaria.

The book answers even the nagging question, wether there are homosexual parasites. (I wondered that ever since I read Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity (Stonewall Inn Editions) about mammals and birds.) The flukes mentioned here are the first parasites I encountered (as in READING about them), which act homosexual in a benign way. To each other that is. (Other parasites - not mentioned in this book - may act homosexual in very twisted ways to procreate to the detriment of same-sex competitors.) Thinking about it: Shouldn't homosexual parasites of the former kind be our favorite parasites, if there is such a thing, because presumably they do NOT procreate, as in: in us? The book sure doesn't answer the question wether there are homosexual solidarity activists like there are for maltreated homosexual zoo animals.

Talking about questions I never knew existed: The book is full of them. Sticking with the homosexual topic, there's a fungus, which TURNS flies into necrophiliac homosexuals. As much as another parasite doesn't only fool crabs into believing that their attached parasite babies are crab babies to care for, but fooling male crabs to believe they themselves are females all of the sudden in order to (be able to) do that to begin with. If you ever sought a flabbergasting book, this will be it. Some animals have a bodyguard class against parasites (ants), others employ blind snakes as maids to free the nest of parasites (owls). And how much DNA itself can get parasitic in various ways sure wasn't on my radar of existing topics.

The book talks about allergies caused by the modern lack of parasites, complete fusions of life, the parasitic origin of sexuality, and that humans may be considered as parasites in the gaia concept. As stupid parasites that is, which are those defined who kill their host. Some readers may be a little lost with this spirituality capping ending of the book. As a Rasta, personally, I am not. As such, I was surprised to find welcome information on the spread of parasites through colonialism. Not only via the conquerors' imported bugs and slavery's transmission, but via relocating cattle within Africa. And via forcing the indiginous populations to live and work in areas unsuited for humans and/or their cattle. All of that having caused most severe and lethal epidemics. The Western apologetic lore has it that their colonial doctors brought healing power to their conquered new lands. (The book doesn't mention that some vaccines were necessary, because the diseases had been imported in the first place and that some FORCED cattle vaccinations occasionally caused more deaths in livestock than the diseases themselves, sometimes intended, sometimes not.) In today's shifted colonial world, the book warns (indirectly) against huge dams, which dramatically expand standing water, which in turn dramatically expands the habitat of dangerous to human parasite carrying snails. In case you are wondering how dams are colonial, please read Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. I find it also interesting to read that Konrad Lorenz didn't change his views of parasitism in the Nazi sort of way at all - even not a few days before his death in 1989. As celebrated as he gets in Western school books, it is usually not known (and not elaborated in this book) that he fully embraced the Nazi party and became an eager member immediately after Hitler marched into Austria. On a more enlightening subject around parasites, I didn't consider before I read this book that human (pre-)history can be reconstructed via tapeworms.

I have a little bit of criticism. Some things are sketchily mentioned only. There is a parasite which eats the flesh of the human face. Ok, horrid. But if I think about it after the initial impulse to turn the page immediately: How exactly do I have to imagine that? What consequences does this have? How is that livable? No answers in this book. The captions of the FEW black and white pictures on 16 pages in the middle of the book are sometimes not that precise. With that parasite, which replaces a fish's tongue, the caption is all we will ever read in this book about that parasite. How does it eat the tongue, i.e. getting into the mouth? How does the parasite help the fish grabbing food? How does the parasite mate? Does it cause infected fish to french kiss or what? If I want to research that, I would have appreciated the parasite's name. Or the name of the host. The caption only says a crustacean in a fish. Wow, that's precise! I don't even know, where on this planet I should look into a fish's mouth before eating it. Well, I was able to find some answers elsewhere nevertheless: The parasite is called Cymothoa exigua, lives in California and only in the mouths of Lutjanus guttatus aka spotted rose snapper. The parasite crawls under the tongue and severes its blood supply in a vampiric manner, causing the tongue to wither away to be replaced by the growing tongue with eyes. I still don't know how it procreates, so anybody who does know, please leave a comment with source. Five years after the book had been written, the first fish with second tongue was found in EU waters (in the UK). The book may not be that incredibly up to date, with some issues still pending when written. For example on the eradication of some parasites. As of 2008 some more countries could be added to the list of eradicated guinea worms, but with other countries still lacking behind.

The Hamilton-Zuk theory got its own book by Marlene Zuk herself: Riddled with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites That Make Us Who We Are, itself a great book about parasites, with little overlap. And if, it goes more in-depth, like with the fungus which attacks insects. If you like a coffee table book of the nasty treat, in which you can also read, which (utterly unexpected!) places in your household are the most yukky ones, "enjoy" the Canadian Human Wildlife: The Life That Lives on Us. If you are interested in more symbiotic body roomies, largely restricted to bacteria and in a systematic text book presentation, read the rather dry Microbial Inhabitants of Humans: Their Ecology and Role in Health and Disease. Much more grippingly written is Good Germs, Bad Germs: Health and Survival in a Bacterial World by a science journalist. Which is also about the history if antibiotic treatments and their failure due to mounting resistance. About former parasites, today our energy source and DNA family tree provider, mitochondria, read Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life. A more general biological approach of symbiosis is Liaisons of Life: From Hornworts to Hippos--How the Unassuming Microbe has Driven Evolution. A theoretic re-thinking, including reconstructing taxonomy and theories about gaia, read Symbiotic Planet: A New Look At Evolution.

"Parasite Rex" is great science writing. For readers familiar with evolutionary and ecological theories, they will meet these theories in a new guise. For readers not familiar, Zimmer has a talent for explaining complex ideas in a very simple fashion. In only one case did I detect a minor oversimplification: there is more to generating novel antibodies than shuffling genes. My only complaint about style is that Zimmer sometimes tries to make the reader horrified at what parasite does to prey, and when the prey is a lower order animal like a caterpillar, I am doubtful that having its insides eaten is as horrible as it sounds. I say this as a person who only eats free range meat. As regards content, fewer case histories of individual parasites would suffice to illustrate the ideas, and for me at least, make for an even more interesting book.

I was very surprised to learn of the strong environmental component to such autoimmune diseases as Crohn's: while once thought to be characteristic of a few ethnic groups, e.g. Jewish, it has become much more common in other groups as sanitation has improved, and the immune system has fewer parasites to fight off. Zimmer suggests parasites play a critical role in ecological balance, and points to some compelling case histories. Parasites are often able to control behavior of their hosts, and thus are a potentially important source of new behavioral drugs.

I bought this book quite a long time ago and forgot to review it until now...I am a parasitologist and this is one of my favorites. Zimmer is funny and engaging and scientifically accurate--I HAVE GOT TO READ THIS AGAIN SOON.

Another excellently-written work from Carl Zimmer. This book will give you a bad case of the creepy-crawlies in parts. It will also completely change your outlook on the nature of life, because you will learn that parasites are not really the gross, "devolved" hangers-on that most think of them as, but rather a vibrant, important part of the web of life...

... that is sometimes really disgusting.

Still, an outstanding book, one that give parasitology a much-improved face. Written in Zimmer's usual clear, very readable style.

From Jack Trombadore Book Reviews, New Jersey Polio Network NEWSLETTER, Fall, 1998.

Acute paralytic polio will be eliminated world-wide in a few years. Yet, says Dr. Lauro S. Halstead, MD, for many hundreds of thousands in the United States and elsewhere, the legacy of polio is "... still very much a part of our personal histories and daily lives."

That legacy is variously called "the late effects of polio," "post-polio sequelae," "post-polio progressive muscular atrophy," "post-polio muscle dysfunction," and most commonly "post-polio syndrome," or "PPS."

In a continuing effort to provide the latest medical and scientific information on post-polio, and the most useful strategies for managing PPS, Dr. Halstead and co-editor Naomi Naierman have joined several professional and medical contributors in bringing us this invaluable collection.

The editors have also included first person accounts of the experiences of seven polio "survivors," including those of Hugh Gallagher and Sunny Roller.

An internationally recognized authority on post-polio syndrome, Dr. Halstead tells us that PPS is a neurological disorder that produces a cluster of symptoms, or a syndrome, in people who had paralytic polio many years earlier.

These problems typically occur after a period of functional and neurological stability of at least 15 years following the initial episode of polio and include new weakness, fatigue, decreased endurance and loss of function. Some researchers also include muscle and joint pain. Less commonly, the symptoms include muscle atrophy, breathing and swallowing difficulties and cold intolerance. Much of Dr. Halstead's discussion is devoted to the evaluation, differential diagnosis and practical, useful recommendations in the management of each of these symptoms.

Some of these symptoms (weakness, fatigue and atrophy) appear to be caused by a progressive degeneration or impairment of motor units, whereas other symptoms (muscle and joint pain) are more likely caused by excessive wear and tear on different parts of the musculoskeletal system.

Dr. Halstead's explanation of the mechanics and effects of polio's attack on the body's nerve cells and muscles is clear, detailed, intelligible and fascinating.

Julie K. Silver, MD, discusses Aging, Comorbidities and Secondary Disabilities in Polio Survivors. Muscular weakness in polio survivors due to overuse together with weakness from normal aging combine to cause profound changes in strength. A polio survivor suffering with a comorbidity, heart disease, for example, may suffer severe symptoms of fatigue, which may be caused by PPS or the heart disease or by both. She also analyzes the serious debilitating effect of a secondary disability, such as that caused by a fall and fracture, on a polio survivor with PPS.

Dr. Silver contributes an additional valuable chapter with a systematic and organized five-step process in How to Find Expert Medical Care.

In Energy Conservation, Grace R. Young, MA,OTB, provides many suggestions for compensating for muscle weakness, including correct posture and seating, while working or resting, the placement of your knees and feet while seated, the height and shape of your chair, correctly carrying and lifting objects, from a coffee mug to a heavy pot, package, purse or clothes on a hanger, and the placement of your computer keyboard and monitor. Numerous other tips are offered to make your kitchen, bathroom, entire home, and even your car more user-friendly.

Laura K. Smith, PhD, PT, provides a thoughtful chapter, Lifestyle Changes: Taking Charge, embracing principles of self-treatment with the help of health professionals on issues of muscle strength recovery, and the effects on the survivor's body of long-term overuse - and sometimes disuse - of the muscles and joints. Dr. Smith sets forth a specific program to alleviate the fatigue and pain of PPS and another to slow the rate of new muscle weakness.

Rhoda Olkin, PhD, presents a many-faceted study of the psychological and social problems facing polio survivors in the first of her two excellent articles, Psychosocial Dimensions of Polio and Post-Polio Syndrome. How do we perceive ourselves and how do others perceive us?

In Polio/Post-Polio Syndrome and Specific Life Tasks, Professor Olkin deals with the dynamics of families of persons with disabilities, assistive devices, and frank discussions of romance and dating, sexuality, marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, and aging.

Nancy Baldwin Carter, BA, M Ed, Psych, and Ruth Wilder Bell, RN, DNSc, share their knowledge and experience in organizing and maintaining a meaningful support group in Journeying Together: Post-Polio Support Groups.

Beverly Neway, MS, CRC., Liina Paasuke, MA,CRC, and Nancy E. Bogg, M Ed, CRC, CDMS, CCM, co-author Vocational Strategies, a chapter that stresses the process of re-establishing employment goals that have been seriously affected by PPS. They strongly recommend obtaining the help of a qualified vocational rehabilitation counselor in the process that includes job analysis, functional capacity evaluation, job market, job search, and reasonable accommodations.

In Navigating the Managed Care Maze, co-editor Naomi Naierman, MPA, shows us how to deal with managed care health insurance companies which too often consider only the bottom line. She writes that the best strategy is to be an informed consumer, knowing and exercising choices and legal rights. This is particularly true for persons with PPS, a chronic condition that invites the worst abuses and practices from too many managed care companies.

Playing the Social Security Benefits Card is a brief review by Kathryn R.B. McGowan, MA, of benefits that may be available from the federal government under Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and under Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The author sets out qualification criteria and information on applications and appeals.

A Guide to the Internet for Polio Survivors is provided by Anne C. Gawne, MD, and Tom Walter, BA, with tips on E-mail, post-polio resources on the Web, and much more.

Hopefully, Dr. Halstead and friends will share their research, findings, knowledge and expertise with all polio survivors and PPS sufferers on a continuing basis.

I read this book in paperback as it was sent to me by our state PostPolio group....I was amazed that there, in one book, were the answers to some of the questions that some of the many Drs. I've consulted NEEDED in order to treat me properly and with efficacy. It also answered many of the questions *I* have had, but nobody ever had the answers to...a common problem with PPS'ers. Dr. Halstead has done us ALL a favor and a service by writing this. I will give the copy I just ordered to my primary care physician, who, luckily, CARES! He in turn, will share it with others....there is power in knowledge! Unfortunately, many of we PPS'ers, don't meet many people who DO know!

I'm 52 years old and it has been 50 years this year since I became involved with poliomyelitis, I am in the 1-2% who suffered paralytic polio. Not knowing any better, and because my parents never treated me any different than my brothers or sister. I lived what I thought was a normal life growing up. I've worked six days a week for the past 35 years, and raised two childern with the help of my wife of 32 years. In the early 80's I began to notice that things that I used to be able to do like play catch with my son, were becoming more difficullt. Not all at once but a little bit at time I began to notice I was not able to reach my left arm across my body. Now I cannot step up on the curb like I could 15 months ago. Here I was thinking that I had overcame this challange, but I began to notice that my old enemy had returned. Dr. Halstead has written the bible for all of us who have or are receiving a return visit by polio. Thank-you Dr. Halstead I would like to have your e mail address so I could tell you how much your efforts have meant to me. Listen all of my polio brothers and sisters trust me you won't regret purchasing this book.

I'd like to alert readers to a related book by one of the authors in this book. Rhoda Olkin, Ph.D., has written a book called WHAT PSYCHOTHERAPISTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DISABILITY that many readers of the Halstead book will find useful and enjoyable. Do not be put off by the title: it is applicable to persons with disabilities as well as professionals.

I agree with the thorough review of this book by Jack Trombadore and the other person from Baltimore: 5 stars! This book has so much good information on Post Polio Syndrome. We, Polio survivors now experiencing these late effects, have so few resources and this book fulfills the need for information and support so beautifully!

The author tells a compelling story of life growing up female and disabled. We read a straightforward account of a child growing up in an era when women were supposed to marry and have children first and if necessary work to help support the family. As a disabled woman, there were no expectations that one could attract a man, physically give birth, raise children, or work in any meaningful way. Mary Mason did all of those things but nowhere in this book does she claim to be a superwoman. She moves through her life making choices, and as a scholar, reviewing them over time and finding her way to a truer sense of self. Her feminist beliefs are unimpeachable. Her move toward an understanding of her place in the turbulent world of the disability movement is honest: feminism came first and more easily in both a personal and political way. The movement toward a place in the world as a disabled person required more thought and analysis because there were fewer contemporaries with whom she could share her stories as a young woman. This book is a welcome addition to the genre of memoirs, but it in no way is a familiar story. It is news, and important news about the experience of living at the intersection of the feminist and disability movements at a time when both political bodies are in flux. You will not be bored by rhetoric though you will be challenged by Mason's manner of analyzing her family life, her work life, and her intellectual life, while staying true to her desire to tell her own personal story.

This wonderful book about healing and discovery should not be missed. It's incredibly well crafted. The story is fascinating, painful and uplifting.

Mary Mason, a critically acclaimed author and professor of English Literature bravely examines her own life to give an honest and revealing look at how our culture treats disabilities in particular women with disabilities.

I was completely engaged by this compelling story of this little girl growing up in the thirties with polio who overcame this incredible obstacle in addition to other tragedies to achieve success.

This book is an inspiration not only for women with disabilities but for all women. It examines the struggles we all face with tough odds to beat.

I highly reccommend it. It will touch you deeply.

This memoir is an inspiring insight into the personal life of a successful professor of English literature at a woman's college in Boston.

We gradually discover that her cheerful outward appearance at times masks a deep and profound private pain. The revelations in this book make it a spellbinding read.

Mason's account of her extraordinarily rich and productive life--traveler, educator, writer as well as wife and mother--makes us question our conventional response to what constitutes a "disability." Despite her inability to walk without crutches, Mason covered more ground than many able-bodied contemporaries. The book is a revelation and inspiration.

Life Prints: A Memoir Of Healing And Discovery is the story of Mary Grimley, who at the age of 6 years became America's first "poster child", dining with President Roosevelt at the Warm Springs rehabilitation center and posing in her wheelchair for publicity shots. Mary went on to became a remarkable scholar in the 1950s and 60s, refusing to focus on her disability and making herself a part of the revolution of ideas. Mason has spent her life struggling against the common cultural prejudice against disabled people, including the sexism of mentors, friends, family, and even herself. It was only after many years of physical therapy and social isolation, that she could emerge from the social and psychological handicaps imposed upon her because of her physical disability to embrace feminism, discover her life's work, and come to terms with herself. Life Prints is a candid, revealing, informative, and exceptionally well written autobiography that is highly recommended for women's studies and disability issues reading lists.

Very good information and analysis of the plague episodes and effects on society all over the world.

Horrox has collected and translated dozens of first-hand accounts of the Black Death of 1348 - 1350. The first quarter of the book is comprised of narrative accounts of the arrival and devastation of the plague, from its arrival in Italy to its spread into Britain. The middle half shows the various responses (medical, religious and scientific) to the mortality, the final quarter of the book examining its reprocussions.

All of the accounts presented here are from eye-witnessess to the terrible virulence and mortality of the Black Death. Although the majority of the documents are from Britain, there is a tremendous amount of similarity among them - the fear, shock, sadness and sense of fatalism as the disease ravaged Europe and the panic and social and economic dislocation that resulted. As a historian, I was fascinated; lay readers will almost certainly be similarly riveted by these accounts and the eerily familiar tone of the voices.

From 1348 to 1350 Europe was devastated by an epidemic that left between one third and one half of the population dead. Using contemporary writings, this collection of sources traces the calamitous impact of the Black Death in Europe, with particular emphasis on its spread across England from 1348 to 1349. Rosemary Horrox surveys contemporary responses to the plague. The almost universal belief that the plague was an expression of divine anger at the sins of humankind did not preclude the attempts to explain the epidemic in scientific and medical terms or to look for human scapegoats. The sources which are included show some of the social and psychological impact of the plague, chronicle its effects on the late-medieval economy, and illustrate the fear that spread with the disease as well as the diverse ways that such terror influenced social behavior.

Part One focuses on narrative accounts of the plague in Continental Europe and in the British Isles. Part Two examines explanations and responses to the plague, including religious and scientific. Part Three deals with the extraordinary consequences of the plague, its impact and repercussions. Finally the text ends with excellent and up-to-date suggestions for further reading.

Dr. Horrox's text is the most extensive collection of relevant sources in translation and is an invaluable addition to the field. This book should be a part of the personal collection of every serious student of the Medieval period.

I agree with the excellent review already listed here, but I would like to add that the value of the book for a more casual reader (like myself) is having the opportunity to read the reactions to and observation of the plague by people who lived through this terrible period. The reality of their words heightened the reality of the period for me. It is true that some parts of the book were a bit too dense for me (some of the allusions went right over my head), but the rest of the book provides a wonderful insight into the minds and souls of real human beings who still have much to say to those of us living centuries later. Highly recommended--and not just for scholars.

concise but thourough, up to date. Tells what you need to know without the unnecessary detail. A must-have in every medical library...

This is a trusted resource for guidance in pediatric infectious diseases. The service could not have been better.

Red Book 2000 continues the long tradtion of the Red Book. It is the source for pediatric ID information. A must have for anyone intrested in the field.

I loved this book. It was soooooooooo cool. But, maybe that's just my opinion. Everyone reading this reviw should stop, and read the book instead; then tell me what you think.

Illnesses, such as tuberculosis, leprosy, malaria, teeth infections and bone diseases, were part of the ancient Egyptian life. Thanks to evidence provided by mummies, papyri and painting, this book, written clearly, presents many of the health problems encountered in Ancient Egyptian society. The author gives an account of sicknesses and infections afflicting pharaohs, peasants, dwarves and court officials. This is an interesting slim volume, which proves to be most practical for students.

Though this is a short book (only 112 pages) , Joyce Filer has packed it with information. She opens with a chapter on the effect of the environment on Egyptian health. Egypt had a "remark-able landscape." The Nile was its focal point. Unfortunately it was this close contact with the Nile that led to contact with parasites in its waters.

The evidence for the existence of disease is often the surviving art of the people. Yet art can be subject to ideology. Akhenaten is thought to have Froehlich's Syndrome. He is portrayed with feminine atributes. But those who suffer from this malady can _not_ have children and Ahkenaten had six. At this point the expression "go figure" comes to mind.

In addition to disease due to the environment, there are congenital diseases, acquired disorders, and trauma. Seqenenre is the pharaoh who rid his country of the Hyksos. His mummy shows six wounds. Did he suffer these during battle? X-ray analysis shows that bone around one of the wounds had partially healed. So did Seqenenre die of palace intrigue?

Two things need to be said about Filer's book. First of all, the reader will not need a medical dictionary to follow along. Filer does a good job of explaining medical terms. Don't know what anencephaly is? See page 63.

Second of all, the reader may ponder the causes of death then and now. Then...in ancient Egypt sand was used to help grind wheat. Since it could not be sifted back out, it became part of the bread. Egyptians developed abscesses which could become fatal infections. Filer mentions (p. 76) that tumors were a feature of the elderly. Now... our longevity has been increased and we face those diseases which Filer found in the elderly.

I liked your book when iread it, and i would like to translate it into the arabic languauge for teaching purposes, the copy i have is edited on 1985. please, if you accept that i can translate your book, send me a letter of your approval.

thanks in advance,

nasser abbas

deseo saber si tienen el libro de parasitologia clinica del autor brown en español...de ser asi porfavor me escribe que estoy muy interesada en comprarlo, gracias.

This book has the best collection of Behcet's-related pictures (skin lesions, etc) that you'll find in one place. If you've wondered what a pathergy reaction looks like, for example, or erythema nodosum, this book is an excellent resource. Warning -- if you're a BD patient AND a parent (and you can afford this book in the first place), it's not something to leave lying around the house for your kids to find: some pictures are horrific and might even give *adults* nightmares. If you're a doctor, this book will give you a basic overview of Behcet's -- but there's more detailed info on clinical research and outcomes in the "Contemporary Synopsis on Behcet's" (for info up to 1989) and the "Essential Guide to Behcet's" (for info up till 2002).

This book is aimed at physicians treating people with Behcet's Disease, a rare autoimmune vasculitis. I think its best features are the many pages of close-up color photos of what Behcet's Disease can do to your body and skin. Take this book to your doctor(s) if a diagnosis of Behcet's Disease is being considered! It's expensive, but you simply can't get this type of resource elsewhere.

I found this book very useful when researching information on diseases and their arthropod vectors. With a chapter covering each of the disease vector groups it was easy to access the information. Sometimes I required additional information than was included within the chapter, but the references listed at the end of each chapter proved helpful.
This book also covers a range of related topics which I haven't needed as yet, e.g. physiology, control, and special methodologies for rearing, but which look interesting.

As a PhD student in vector borne infectious diseases, I have found this book incredibly helpful. The text is interesting, timely, and easy to read. It is one of the most comprehensive, insightful reference texts out today. If you are a student interested in infectious disease, entomology, parasitology, or medicine, this book is a "must have."

David G. Baker edits FLYNN'S PARASITES OF LABORATORY ANIMALS, 2ND EDITION, an excellent college-level reference for advanced students of veterinary science. From the biology of the protozoa to parasites of rabbits and hamsters, mice and birds, reptiles to dogs, cats and even sheep, edits FLYNN'S PARASITES OF LABORATORY ANIMALS offers up extensive chapters packed with black and white photos, tables and charts, diagnosis, hosts, lifestyle, and pathologic effects, and more.

Dr. Baker has done an outstanding job of updating and expanding the classic Flynn's Parasites of Laboratory Animals. This new edition has chapters summarizing the biology of each class of parasites as well as a chapter for each commonly used laboratory animal. This is the definitive text on the subject, and will likely remain that way for many years like its previous edition.