Microbes and Man

by John R. Postgate

Microbes are everywhere. Normally invisible, they are abundant in the air we breathe, in soil, in water, on our skin and hair, in our mouths and intestines, and on and in the food we eat. They make the soil fertile; they clean up the environment; they change, often improve, our food; some protect us from less desirable microbes. Yet most people are scarcely aware that they exist--except when they become ill. Microbes, as "germs", are widely regarded as nasty--unpopular because a few can cause disease and a few can spoil food. Yet collectively microbes present a fascinating world of miniscule creatures, who together encompass all the processes of which terrestrial life is capable: creatures who have profound effects on our lives and surroundings. Extensively updated to include such topics as CJD, genetic manipulation, and gene therapy, this edition describes the extraordinary impact that the microbial community has on our everyday lives in an accessible and easy to read style.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biology, Medicine

388 pages, Paperback

Published February 13, 2000

Reviews

[Sabeena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a textbook in the traditional sense, it is more a conversational introduction to the world of microbes and not necessarily to scientists. I would place it more as a lecture on microbes in a 'man's' world given to undergraduate science students or in fact any people that might be interested in knowing about this! The expert or more academic student may find this too simplified and too casual in tone. Postgate defines microbes as microscopic germs, mould, yeasts and algae. Unfortunately the definition doesn't encompass unicellular protozoa such as amoeba, which I am particularly invested in learning about. Still, the book provides some fascinating insights into the existence of bacteria and other microbes.
The concepts are brief but sufficient as introductions for you to go off and follow the lines of enquiry.
There aren't very many images but some simplistic ones illustrating key process cycles. The founders of significant processes, methodologies and findings are described again briefly.
The book is split into sections focussing on the role of microbes in society, nutrition, production, deterioration, decay, pollution, disposal, cleaning and evolution offering snapshot overviews.
It is a short read and an insightful one zooming into the micro world of tiny organisms that have many jobs.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sure, it’s technically a textbook, but after picking this guy up at a used book shop it took me quite a while to figure that out. Think instead of an entertaining professor or science teacher - equal parts in-depth and precise, candid and fun. He shares anecdotes, rambles, and even a homemade booze recipe, all peppered in with diagrams and chemical reactions. Truly one of a kind.

[Paul Guy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An outstanding book that introduces the unseen world of microbes. Postgate relies on his descriptive abilities and vast knowledge to engage his reader. Microbes and Man is a solid block of text with little concern for graphic design. There is little to engage the eye in the first edition. Tables are sprinkled through the text and occasionally chemical reactions draw the eye from left to right across the page. Even subsequent editions did not venture beyond a number of well-placed black and white figures; photographs which reinforced some of the points in the text.
However, his commitment and skill in communicating science is unchallengable: his final publication, a letter to New Scientist was published in July 2014, three months before his death at age 92. Its clever title “TB or not TB?” shows us his ability to engage his audience was with him to the end. In this brief missive, of less than two hundred words, he considers tuberculosis, probiotics, yeast, human evolution, pellagra, vegans, the Jian of India and nicotinamide. A final tour de force by a dedicated communicator who relentlessly focussed his broad knowledge on his ambition to introduce the unseen world of microbes to mankind.
For a full review and book history see: Script & Print 45(1) 21-28.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a Microbioloy course I took this summer. And I must say, that as a "textbook", it was quite interesting and accessible to the non-scientist. It's written for people who know nothing about microbiology, and close to nothing about science. I would definitely recommend it to those who are curious to learn about another aspect of this world we live in (and you can skip the heavier chapters if you want).

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a required textbook for a microbiology course I took, but it wasn't as dry as your typical textbook. It's manner was much more conversational, and it is a great primer on microbiology for anyone from the student to your average citizen with an interest in the role microbes play in our world.