Synopses & Reviews
Featuring 15 infectious diseases—eight bacteria, six viruses, and a parasite—and one friendly fungus, this book explores significant medical themes and highlights the effect micro-organisms have on modern life. Hilarious, informative, yet deeply moving, it discusses each disease while weaving true stories of patients and their families and the difficulties doctors face. Touching upon the swine flu, golden staph, SARS, hepatitis, and HIV, this account teaches crucial lessons about public health and the human experience of disease.
Review
"Writing with wit and humor, Frank Bowden tells stories from the front line of the fight against infectious disease. Giving us a rare glimpse into an intriguing and often surprising world, this is a great read by a dedicated doctor." —Professor Peter Doherty, Nobel Prize-winning immunologist
Synopsis
Frank Bowden, a specialist in the field of infectious disease and sexual health, looks at one bug at a time, weaving around them the stories of his patients and their families, the doctors and the difficulties they face and the horrors and successes of hospitals and health care programs. Through Bowden's own work in the field, we encounter Swine Flu, Golden Staph, Hepatitis, HIV and the SARS epidemic and learn crucial lessons about public health and the human experience of disease. It can also give insight into the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
About the Author
Frank Bowden is a board member of the One Disease at a Time Foundation and an advisor for the Australian government on HIV and sexual health. He is a former coordinator of the STD/AIDS program for Australias Northern Territory, the cofounder of the Australian National University Medical School, and the former director of the Canberra Sexual Health Center.