Rabid
A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus
by Bill Wasik
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Rabid
It spawns berserker rages and vicious attacks that only death can stop. Able to jump from species to species with ease, it can afflict virtually any mammal on the planet. And it boasts a nearly 100 percent fatality rate.
It, of course, is rabies, and in Rabid, authors Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy give us a remarkably complete look at the science, myths, and misconceptions that surround this deadly contagion. Beginning with a look at how the virus attacks the nervous system, the book:
• describes the symptoms that ravage the host’s body after it becomes infected
• chronicles the contagion’s first appearances in ancient Mesopotamia and Greece
• reveals how Islamic scholars advanced our understanding of the disease during the Middle Ages
• discusses the pioneering—and often dangerous—experiments Louis Pasteur conducted in order to create a vaccine
• traces the cultural manifestations that arose from our fear of rabies, from the fury of Achilles to legends of werewolves, vampires, and zombies
Also featuring a chapter on the outbreak that recently gripped Bali, Rabid is a revelation. It gives us a whole new understanding of one of the most diabolical and lethal diseases in the world.
Hardcover Book : 288 pages
Publisher: Viking Penguin/Div. Penguin Putnam ( July 19, 2012 )
Item #: 13-568037
ISBN: 9780670023738
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.25 inches
Product Weight: 14.0 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
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