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12th out of 14 books
—
5 voters
Biography of a Germ
by
Arno Karlen
Arno Karlen, author of Man and Microbes, focuses on a single bacterium in Biography of a Germ, giving us an intimate view of a life that has been shaped by and is in turn transforming our own.
Borrelia burgdorferi is the germ that causes Lyme disease. In existence for some hundred million years, it was discovered only recently. Exploring its evolution, its daily existence,...more
Borrelia burgdorferi is the germ that causes Lyme disease. In existence for some hundred million years, it was discovered only recently. Exploring its evolution, its daily existence,...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
May 15th 2001
by Anchor
(first published 2000)
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Borrelia Burgdorferi. (causes Lyme's disease)
Grand claims early on of a 'full dress' biography of this bacteria cite Plutarch, William Blake and an abbreviated history of biography itself. However, Karlen ultimately comes off as a science writer, albeit a pleasant and whimsical one. Shelve him away as a very broad thinking, popularizing epidemiologist. Condensed, he could be featured on NPR.
I wouldn't mind if he had indulged a more poetic or anthropomorphic approach, say, if Borges or Marquez ch...more
Grand claims early on of a 'full dress' biography of this bacteria cite Plutarch, William Blake and an abbreviated history of biography itself. However, Karlen ultimately comes off as a science writer, albeit a pleasant and whimsical one. Shelve him away as a very broad thinking, popularizing epidemiologist. Condensed, he could be featured on NPR.
I wouldn't mind if he had indulged a more poetic or anthropomorphic approach, say, if Borges or Marquez ch...more
Good information but I recommend skipping the first chapter or chapters as they are a repeat of what you already know. The book gets better and you learn many new things near the end of it.
1 like · like · see review
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I am not a big science person but this book was wonderful! The author is funny and puts science in terms that I understand.
Karlen, Arno. BIOGRAPHY OF A GERM. (2000). ****. Karlen is a psychoanalyst, and has written books on history and biomedical science. He is a thoughtful writer who does his research before putting anything down on paper. He is not afraid to express his opinion, where one is called for, or against, any issue. In this book, he takes us through the life and cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the “germ” that causes Lyme disease. We learn about its ancestry and evolution, its day-to-day life, its tra...more
You won't find a more alluring book about Lyme disease. Following this tick-borne illness from its origins to modern times, Karlen is able to show how humans' impact on their environments (in this case the destruction of and subsequent restoration of deer habitats) can have far-reaching effects in the world of microbic disease.
It will also have you checking your hairline after a walk in the woods.
It will also have you checking your hairline after a walk in the woods.
Jan 21, 2010
Josh Phenicie
is currently reading it
very interesting. I particularly liked the authors exhalation of other biographies and why he chose to write one about a germ, near the beginning of the book. very well written and engaging.
as the title says, this is a biography of a germ. not just any germ, it is the life history of the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, the cause of lyme disease. it provides a detailed look into the evolutionary history and current life cycles of Bb, as well as how and why it causes disease in people. while the book focuses exclusively on Bb, it also provides the big picture of how human impact on ecosystems has in the past and will continue in the future to provide new avenues for old germs.
The book meanders, especially at the beginning, but all in all, it is a well-written, non-technical account of the life of the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.
Some nice, fluid science writing but it was a little bit more elementary than I would have liked. A pleasant read, though.
It was more dry than I was expecting, and some of it was over my head, but I still enjoyed it. Microbiologist, I am not.
If a microbe could talk, is this what it would say?
1 like · like · see review
Apr 16, 2013
Infogirl84
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