The author recounts his 1981 journey to Papua New Guinea to study members of the Fore tribe suffering from Kuru, a disease of the brain, to see if the spread of this affliction is due to a now-outlawed tradition of eating their dead
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
The key word here is personal. Physician Robert Klitzman tells us his life story and humanizes what could easily have been a tabloid-size horror story of Stone Age cannibals and rotten-brained cows. Vivid portraits of the men and women he helped and worked with lift this book above mere sensationalism, showing one people's tragedy in the hopes that others can be averted.
Kuru is a fatal disease formerly epidemic among the Fore people of New Guinea, with symptoms including involuntary laughing, dementia, and loss of motor control. Traced to their ritual cannibalism, it was found to be caused by nonliving crystal-like proteins in the brain. Klitzman traveled to New Guinea before attending medical school to work with these people and quickly learned how little Western medicine could do for the afflicted--he could only make their deaths as comfortable as possible. His despair is palpable.
Fortunately, most Fore have been convinced to give up the most dangerous of their ancestral practices, and the disease has largely abated. But mad cow disease (and others like it), caused by the same class of protein as kuru, remains a threat to Westerners--a threat Klitzman would rather we not face. His very personal story forces us as readers to examine our own lives and our own ancestral practices, perhaps to make some changes ourselves. --Rob Lightner
Dr. Robert Klitzman, currently an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, is the author of Being Positive: The Lives of Men and Women with HIV, A Year-Long Night: Tales of A Medical Internship and In a House of Dreams and Glass: Becoming a Psychiatrist. He graduated from Princeton University and Yale Medical School, and has been a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. His work has appeared in scientific journals and textbooks, as well as the New York Times and other publications. He has recieved numerous honors and awards, including a Burroughs Wellcome Fellowship (for Future Leaders in Psychiatry) from the American Psychiatric Association, an Aaron Diamond Foundation Fellowship, and a Picker/Commonwealth Scholar Award. He has also been a Fellow at Yaddo and MacDowell.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Shipping:
US$ 4.30
Within U.S.A.
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. 1st Edition. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 2255581-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Irish Booksellers, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 11-030645792x-G
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.4. Seller Inventory # G030645792XI4N10
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.4. Seller Inventory # G030645792XI3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.4. Seller Inventory # G030645792XI3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Very Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Seller Inventory # N22K-00681
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Valley Books, AMHERST, MA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. First printing. 333pp. Photos. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 054255
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Nelson Freck, Rockville, MD, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. Seller Inventory # AA977
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Top Notch Books, Tolar, TX, U.S.A.
Hard Cover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Printing. Jacket and boards have only light wear. Pages are clean, text has no markings, binding is sound. Prior owner name on feb. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Ex-Libris. Seller Inventory # 112280A
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Powell's Bookstores Chicago, ABAA, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.
Condition: Used - Very Good. 1998. Hardcover. Cloth, dj. Minor shelf-wear. Very Good. Seller Inventory # SOL22201
Quantity: 1 available