United States
£ GBP
A guided tour through the strange and sometimes dangerous microscopic world
Germs are everywhere – in our intestines and on our skin as well as on kitchen counters, public toilets, doorknobs, and just about everything else. Why are there so many microorganisms? Which ones are dangerous? And how can we avoid the ones that will make us sick? This entertaining and informative book provides the answers.
Profiling a rogue's gallery of harmful germs – from the influenza virus, salmonella, and herpes to hepatitis, tuberculosis, and HIV – as well as helpful microbes (we actually need E. coli and other bacteria for proper digestion), Where the Germs Are reveals how different germs interact with the human body and what happens when they do.
Preface. Acknowledgments. 1. Microbes: An Introduction. 2. Hungry? Let's Eat: The Contaminated Kitchen. 3. Toilet Training: Washing Hands Is the Best Revenge. 4. Whiter Whites and Brighter Colors: Healthy Laundry. 5. Clean Up That Room: Kids and Microbes. 6. What Love's Got to Do with It: Microbes and Your Sex Life. 7. Wild Kingdom: Pets and Their Germs. 8. Up Your Nose: The Flu and the Cold. 9. Bottled or Tap: Water, and What's in It. 10. Fresh Air and Sunshine: Outdoor Fun with Microbes. 11. Paint the Town Red: Germs in Public Places. 12. The Antiseptic Supermarket: Products That Do Something, Products That Do Nothing, and Products That Actually Do Harm. Glossary. Notes. Index.
Nicholas Bakalar is a New York-based writer and book editor. He is the author or coauthor of ten books, including Understanding Teenage Depression, Hepatitis A to G, Wiping Out Head Lice, and AIDS and People with Severe Mental Illness.
"[...] His writing is witty, and he gives all the details of germs and illnesses without medical school jargon."
– Publishers Weekly, December 23, 2002
