Resistance: The Human Struggle against Infection - Hardcover

Gualde, Norbert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1932594000 ISBN 13: 9781932594003

Publisher: Dana Press, 2006

Synopsis

A North Carolina woman dies of a flesh-eating bacterial disease. Thousands of people in West Africa are suffering from cholera. And antibiotics are rapidly becoming less and less effective at fighting what were once mild infections. The biggest threat to the future of human society may not be terrorist attacks or nuclear war, but rather microscopic bacteria. Immunologist Norbert Gualde explains in Resistance the dangers we face from bacterial resistance, asserting that we must confront the reality awaiting us--the next fatal plague may occur sooner than we think. 

Over the course of the twentieth century, incredible advances in medicine inspired a utopian belief among many that all common infectious diseases would eventually be eradicated. But Resistance shows that this dream is an impossible one. The book’s riveting narrative reveals how new infectious agents and diseases are being discovered every day and how bacteria previously thought to have been destroyed are returning with a vengeance. Drawing upon the history of past epidemics, Gualde explores how new outbreaks might be predicted and controlled. He also investigates the potentially devastating social and political impact of such public health disasters, particularly in underdeveloped countries in the southern hemisphere. He ultimately argues that the constant interaction between man and microorganisms will inevitably catalyze future epidemics similar to the horrific ones of centuries past.

Global outbreak monitoring and medical research on the human body’s immune system are beginning to produce effective strategies against bacterial resistance. But the most important weapon is awareness of the crisis, and this engrossing and brilliantly translated study will serve as a wake-up call for us all.

About this title

About the Author

Norbert Gualde is professor of immunology at the University Victor Segalen of Bordeaux and directs an immunology laboratory at the Institut Bergonie Cancer Center of Bordeaux. Steven Rendall is a freelance translator currently living in France. He has translated more than thirty books from French and German.

 

 

Review

“Norbert Gualde provides us with a brilliant historical analysis of man's interactions with infectious agents. . . . This book urges us to reexamine and correct the assumptions that were made following the discovery of antibiotics that infectious diseases would no longer be a menace to mankind. Resistance provides a detailed and accurate analysis of the critical factors that determine the outcome of this continuous battle, with an emphasis on the evolutionary protection provided by our immune system.”—Baruj Benacerraf, M.D., Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, 1980

(Baruj Benacerraf, M.D. 2006-07-31)

“We inhabit an environment shaped by our own excesses:  a 40-fold population increase and a 100-fold energy increase since the nineteenth century.  We approach a tipping point in 2010 when more than half the human population will live in epidemic-prone urban centers rather than on the land. . . . Resistance sparkles with wit and intelligence, and is a treasure trove of historical facts. . . . It also serves as starting point for serious contemplation of present and future perils.”—James S. Goodwin, M.D., George and Cynthia Mitchell Distinguished Chair in Geriatric Medicine, Director, Sealy Center on Aging

(James S. Goodwin, M.D. 2006-07-31)

“This book is valuable: it is hard to find in one place an accurate description of the many threats that all of us have heard about in a piecemeal fashion. I especially like the way he provides the history of each outbreak and then emphasizes the human factors that are at play in fueling the epidemic.”—Ralph Steinman, M.D., Henry G. Kunkel Professor and Senior Physician, The Rockefeller University

(Ralph Steinman, M.D. 2006-07-31)

"French immunology professor Gualde tackles the story of infectious disease, putting the lie to the 1967 claim from the U.S. Surgeon General that "the time has come to close the book on infectious diseases," with thorough, thoughtful analysis. . . . Gualde's survey is broad, deep and carefully annotated, making this a worthwhile read for interested parties."--Publishers Weekly   (Publishers Weekly 2006-11-20)

"Its translation from the French appears to be well done; concepts and theories are well described, and the book sparkles with the author's wit and intelligence. This is a must read for anyone in the professions of medicine, public health, and nursing."--Choice   (R. M. Mullner Choice 2007-05-01)

Edition details

• Publisher: Dana Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1932594000
• ISBN 13: 9781932594003
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 260