Synopses & Reviews
In What's Eating You? Eugene Kaplan recounts the true and harrowing tales of his adventures with parasites, and in the process introduces readers to the intimately interwoven lives of host and parasite.
Kaplan has spent his life traveling the globe exploring oceans and jungles, and incidentally acquiring parasites in his gut. Here, he leads readers on an unforgettable journey into the bizarre yet oddly beautiful world of parasites. In a narrative that is by turns frightening, disgusting, and laugh-out-loud funny, Kaplan describes how drinking contaminated water can cause a three-foot-long worm to burst from your arm; how he "gave birth" to a parasite the size and thickness of a pencil while working in Israel; why you should never wave a dead snake in front of your privates; and why fleas are attracted to his wife. Kaplan tells stories about leeches feasting on soldiers in Vietnam; sea cucumbers with teeth in their anuses that seem to encourage the entry of symbiotic fish; the habits of parasites that cause dysentery, river blindness, and other horrifying diseases--and much, much more. Along the way, he explains the underlying science, including parasite evolution and host-parasite physiology.
Informative, frequently lurid, and hugely entertaining, this beautifully illustrated book is a must-read for health-conscious travelers, and anyone who has ever wondered if they picked up a tapeworm from that last sushi dinner.
Review
"[This] book has its squirmy pleasures.... [Kaplan's] approach is often lurid, sometimes humorous vignettes on different parasites, each story culminating in a page of scientific drawings that illustrate the intersecting paths of parasites and hosts." Nina Ayoub, Chronicle Review
Review
"In two decades I have not had the pleasure of appraising such a repulsive volume as What's Eating You? I heartily commend it." David Profumo, Literary Review
Synopsis
In
What's Eating You? Eugene Kaplan recounts the true and harrowing tales of his adventures with parasites, and in the process introduces readers to the intimately interwoven lives of host and parasite.
Kaplan has spent his life traveling the globe exploring oceans and jungles, and incidentally acquiring parasites in his gut. Here, he leads readers on an unforgettable journey into the bizarre yet oddly beautiful world of parasites. In a narrative that is by turns frightening, disgusting, and laugh-out-loud funny, Kaplan describes how drinking contaminated water can cause a three-foot-long worm to burst from your arm; how he gave birth to a parasite the size and thickness of a pencil while working in Israel; why you should never wave a dead snake in front of your privates; and why fleas are attracted to his wife. Kaplan tells stories about leeches feasting on soldiers in Vietnam; sea cucumbers with teeth in their anuses that seem to encourage the entry of symbiotic fish; the habits of parasites that cause dysentery, river blindness, and other horrifying diseases--and much, much more. Along the way, he explains the underlying science, including parasite evolution and host-parasite physiology.
Informative, frequently lurid, and hugely entertaining, this beautifully illustrated book is a must-read for health-conscious travelers, and anyone who has ever wondered if they picked up a tapeworm from that last sushi dinner.
Synopsis
Everything you ever wanted to know about parasites but were too horrified to ask
In What's Eating You? Eugene Kaplan recounts the true and harrowing tales of his adventures with parasites, and in the process introduces readers to the intimately interwoven lives of host and parasite.
Kaplan has spent his life traveling the globe exploring oceans and jungles, and incidentally acquiring parasites in his gut. Here, he leads readers on an unforgettable journey into the bizarre yet oddly beautiful world of parasites. In a narrative that is by turns frightening, disgusting, and laugh-out-loud funny, Kaplan describes how drinking contaminated water can cause a three-foot-long worm to burst from your arm; how he gave birth to a parasite the size and thickness of a pencil while working in Israel; why you should never wave a dead snake in front of your privates; and why fleas are attracted to his wife. Kaplan tells stories about leeches feasting on soldiers in Vietnam; sea cucumbers with teeth in their anuses that seem to encourage the entry of symbiotic fish; the habits of parasites that cause dysentery, river blindness, and other horrifying diseases--and much, much more. Along the way, he explains the underlying science, including parasite evolution and host-parasite physiology.
Informative, frequently lurid, and hugely entertaining, this beautifully illustrated book is a must-read for health-conscious travelers, and anyone who has ever wondered if they picked up a tapeworm from that last sushi dinner.
Synopsis
In
What's Eating You? Eugene Kaplan recounts the true and harrowing tales of his adventures with parasites, and in the process introduces readers to the intimately interwoven lives of host and parasite.
Kaplan has spent his life traveling the globe exploring oceans and jungles, and incidentally acquiring parasites in his gut. Here, he leads readers on an unforgettable journey into the bizarre yet oddly beautiful world of parasites. In a narrative that is by turns frightening, disgusting, and laugh-out-loud funny, Kaplan describes how drinking contaminated water can cause a three-foot-long worm to burst from your arm; how he "gave birth" to a parasite the size and thickness of a pencil while working in Israel; why you should never wave a dead snake in front of your privates; and why fleas are attracted to his wife. Kaplan tells stories about leeches feasting on soldiers in Vietnam; sea cucumbers with teeth in their anuses that seem to encourage the entry of symbiotic fish; the habits of parasites that cause dysentery, river blindness, and other horrifying diseases--and much, much more. Along the way, he explains the underlying science, including parasite evolution and host-parasite physiology.
Informative, frequently lurid, and hugely entertaining, this beautifully illustrated book is a must-read for health-conscious travelers, and anyone who has ever wondered if they picked up a tapeworm from that last sushi dinner.
Synopsis
"Kaplan stimulates readers to further explore these exciting organisms. He does this by weaving personal stories of people and parasites with information about the organisms. His storytelling approach entices nonscientists to venture into the world of parasites and appreciate their importance. The author's sense of humor comes through on virtually every page."--Lillian F. Mayberry, University of Texas, El Paso
About the Author
Eugene H. Kaplan is the Donald E. Axinn Endowed Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Conservation (emeritus) at Hofstra University. His many books include Sensuous Seas: Tales of a Marine Biologist and A Field Guide to Southeastern and Caribbean Seashores.
Table of Contents
Preface: Personal Parasites ix
Acknowledgments xi
Apologia xiii
On the Sacredness of Life xv
Introduction. The Saline Solution--An Inner Sea 1
Chapter 1: Land of Smiles 6
Chapter 2: An Encounter with Jordan Rose 15
Chapter 3: I Had a Farm in Africa 25
Chapter 4: Death of a Mouse 33
Chapter 5: Intimate Relationships 40
Chapter 6: A Peek into the Anus of--My Child 48
Chapter 7: The Well-Hung Dog 58
Chapter 8: Fiery Serpent 69
Chapter 9: It Hardly Ever Happens 75
Chapter 10: The Anti-Semitic Tapeworm 82
Chapter 11: Mother Always Wanted Me to Be a Real Doctor 91
Chapter 12: Missus Murphy's Baby 98
Chapter 13: The Day I Flunked the Macho Test 109
Chapter 14: The Biblical Plagues 117
Chapter 15: Alley Cats and Seagulls 127
Chapter 16: A Better Mousetrap 137
Chapter 17: Scandals and Ghosts 144
Chapter 18: Spiny-Headed Monsters 155
Chapter 19: Bloodsucking Beasts 165
Chapter 20: Ode to a Cockroach 174
Chapter 21: Bats, Bugs, and Bloody Bites 184
Chapter 22: Little Fleas Have Littler Fleas 195
Chapter 23: How to Get Rid of Crabs 203
Chapter 24: Wild Virgins 211
Inexplicable Behavior: Some Relationships Are More Intimate Than Others 221
Chapter 25: Topsy-Turvy Worlds 224
Chapter 26: A Day in the Caribbean 235
Chapter 27: Tit, Tit, Tittie--Cuckoo 245
Chapter 28: The Game of Life: Name That Category 251
Chapter 29: Paean of Praise 257
Chapter 30: Tips for Travelers 268
Epilogue 277
Glossary 281
Selected References 293
Illustration Sources 295
Index 297