Famous People and the Germs That Harmed Them: Infections that have Altered History ~including COVID-19~ Hardcover – January 18, 2023

With the advent of the COVID epidemic, today's readers want to know what microbes, epidemics, and pandemics have profoundly affected people and civilizations throughout history. This book marries together history, culture, science, medicine and famous people and looks at each of them through the lens of infectious disease. Let me ask you: What do King Tut, Jack Nicklaus, William Shakespeare, Helen Keller, Anne Frank and Abraham Lincoln have in common? You likely didn’t know they were all harmed by a serious infection. As you read through this fascinating book, you will be stunned by the power of invisible microorganisms and how they have inflicted pain throughout history.As an Infectious Disease specialist for over three decades, I have had a front-row seat to countless wretched and gut-wrenching diseases and have seen the misery they impart on their victims. This book will also take a close look at just what makes these body-snatching microbial organisms tick. How do they invade us without being detected? What kinds of poisons do they generate? How do they interact with our immune systems? How do they use other creatures such as arthropods to be the “middle-man” in disease? How do they kill the human body? Believe me, every living organism that is pathogenic (having the ability to invade) has its own special license to kill. They have an impressive arsenal of poisonous weapons, beyond the likes of James Bond, I can assure you. So, come along with me on this journey to discover the power of BUGS, and see why they truly RULE the world. Though we continue to develop better weapons to overcome them, as stealth-invading microbial pathogens, they are a force with which to be reckoned. Novel Coronavirus-19 is a present example, and as of this writing, it sweeps across the globe with ease, leaving a wake of turmoil. Thanks to public health and the availability of vaccines, our civilization is not near extinction, but there’s much more work to be done. Read more