Download or read book Six Modern Plagues and How We Are Causing Them written by Mark Jerome Walters and published by Shearwater. This book was released on 2003-09-10 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: West Nile Virus—Mad Cow Disease—HIV/AIDS—Hantavirus—Lyme Disease ... and a new strain of Salmonella. Such modern epidemics have emerged over the past few decades as mysterious, yet significant risks to human health. These "plagues" are forcing us to modify our lifestyles in ways that minimize our chances of becoming a statistic in the latest tally of the afflicted. In Six Modern Plagues, Mark Jerome Walters offers us the first book for the general reader that connects these emerging health risks and their ecological origins. Drawing on new research, interviews, and his own investigations, Mark Jerome Walters weaves together a compelling argument: that changes humans have made to the environment, from warming the climate to clearing the forests, have contributed to, if not caused a rising tide of diseases that are afflicting humans and many other species. According to Mark Jerome Walters, humans are not always innocent bystanders to infectious disease. To the contrary, in the case of many modern epidemics, we are the instigators. Six Modern Plagues, a ground-breaking introduction to the connection between disease and environmental degradation should be read by all those interested in their health and the health of others.
Download or read book Seven Modern Plagues written by Mark Jerome Walters and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2014-02-23 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every time we sneeze, there seems to be a new form of flu: bird flu, swine flu, Spanish flu, Hong Kong flu, H5N1, and most recently, H5N7. While these diseases appear to emerge from thin air, in fact, human activity is driving them. And the problem is not just flu, but a series of rapidly evolving and dangerous modern plagues. According to veterinarian and journalist Mark Walters, we are contributing to—if not overtly causing—some of the scariest epidemics of our time. Through human stories and cutting-edge science, Walters explores the origins of seven diseases: Mad Cow Disease, HIV/AIDS, Salmonella DT104, Lyme Disease, Hantavirus, West Nile, and new strains of flu. He shows that they originate from manipulation of the environment, from emitting carbon and clear-cutting forests to feeding naturally herbivorous cows “recycled animal protein.” Readers will both learn how today’s plagues first developed and discover patterns that could help prevent the diseases of tomorrow.
Download or read book Encyclopedia of Pestilence Pandemics and Plagues 2 volumes written by Joseph P. Byrne and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2008-09-30 with total page 917 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Editor Joseph P. Byrne, together with an advisory board of specialists and over 100 scholars, research scientists, and medical practitioners from 13 countries, has produced a uniquely interdisciplinary treatment of the ways in which diseases pestilence, and plagues have affected human life. From the Athenian flu pandemic to the Black Death to AIDS, this extensive two-volume set offers a sociocultural, historical, and medical look at infectious diseases and their place in human history from Neolithic times to the present. Nearly 300 entries cover individual diseases (such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, Ebola, and SARS); major epidemics (such as the Black Death, 16th-century syphilis, cholera in the nineteenth century, and the Spanish Flu of 1918-19); environmental factors (such as ecology, travel, poverty, wealth, slavery, and war); and historical and cultural effects of disease (such as the relationship of Romanticism to Tuberculosis, the closing of London theaters during plague epidemics, and the effect of venereal disease on social reform). Primary source sidebars, over 70 illustrations, a glossary, and an extensive print and nonprint bibliography round out the work.
Download or read book Lyme written by Mary Beth Pfeiffer and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2018-04-17 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Superbly written and researched." --Booklist "Builds a strong case." --Kirkus Lyme disease is spreading rapidly around the globe as ticks move into places they could not survive before. Mary Beth Pfeiffer argues it is the first epidemic to emerge in the era of climate change, infecting millions around the globe. She tells the heart-rending stories of its victims, families whose lives have been destroyed by a single, often unseen, tick bite. Pfeiffer also warns of the emergence of other tick-borne illnesses that make Lyme more difficult to treat and pose their own grave risks. Lyme is an impeccably researched account of an enigmatic disease, making a powerful case for action to fight ticks, heal patients, and recognize humanity's role in a modern scourge.
Download or read book Infections and Inequalities written by Paul Farmer and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A modern-day plague fighter explains why diseases such as AIDS, TB, malaria, and typhoid target the poor and shows what can be done in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds by physicians determined to treat those in need.
Download or read book Missing Microbes written by Martin J. Blaser, MD and published by Henry Holt and Company. This book was released on 2014-04-08 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “In Missing Microbes, Martin Blaser sounds [an] alarm. He patiently and thoroughly builds a compelling case that the threat of antibiotic overuse goes far beyond resistant infections.”—Nature Renowned microbiologist Dr. Martin J. Blaser invites us into the wilds of the human microbiome, where for hundreds of thousands of years bacterial and human cells have existed in a peaceful symbiosis that is responsible for the equilibrium and health of our bodies. Now this invisible Eden is under assault from our overreliance on medical advances including antibiotics and caesarian sections, threatening the extinction of our irreplaceable microbes and leading to severe health consequences. Taking us into the lab to recount his groundbreaking studies, Blaser not only provides elegant support for his theory, he guides us to what we can do to avoid even more catastrophic health problems in the future. “Missing Microbes is science writing at its very best—crisply argued and beautifully written, with stunning insights about the human microbiome and workable solutions to an urgent global crisis.”—David M. Oshinsky, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Polio: An American Story
Download or read book Environmental Health Perspectives written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 1576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Emerging Infectious Diseases written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 652 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Power of Plagues written by Irwin W. Sherman and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-07-02 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Power of Plagues presents a rogues' gallery of epidemic- causing microorganisms placed in the context of world history. Author Irwin W. Sherman introduces the microbes that caused these epidemics and the people who sought (and still seek) to understand how diseases and epidemics are managed. What makes this book especially fascinating are the many threads that Sherman weaves together as he explains how plagues past and present have shaped the outcome of wars and altered the course of medicine, religion, education, feudalism, and science. Cholera gave birth to the field of epidemiology. The bubonic plague epidemic that began in 1346 led to the formation of universities in cities far from the major centers of learning (and hot spots of the Black Death) at that time. And the Anopheles mosquito and malaria aided General George Washington during the American Revolution. Sadly, when microbes have inflicted death and suffering, people have sometimes responded by invoking discrimination, scapegoating, and quarantine, often unfairly, against races or classes of people presumed to be the cause of the epidemic. Pathogens are not the only stars of this book. Many scientists and physicians who toiled to understand, treat, and prevent these plagues are also featured. Sherman tells engaging tales of the development of vaccines, anesthesia, antiseptics, and antibiotics. This arsenal has dramatically reduced the suffering and death caused by infectious diseases, but these plague protectors are imperfect, due to their side effects or attenuation and because microbes almost invariably develop resistance to antimicrobial drugs. The Power of Plagues provides a sobering reminder that plagues are not a thing of the past. Along with the persistence of tuberculosis, malaria, river blindness, and AIDS, emerging and remerging epidemics continue to confound global and national public health efforts. West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and Ebola and Zika viruses are just some of the newest rogues to plague humans. The argument that civilization has been shaped to a significant degree by the power of plagues is compelling, and The Power of Plagues makes the case in an engaging and informative way that will be satisfying to scientists and non-scientists alike.
Download or read book Christians the Care of Creation and Global Climate Change written by Lindy Scott and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2008-03-01 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christians, the Care of Creation, and Global Climate Change is a wake-up call for Christians and others. It is a cogent and persuasive call to love God and our neighbors by caring for creation--especially in light of the dramatic climate changes occurring before our eyes. This book is not the final word on the subject, but it is a sincere invitation to examine the scientific evidence for global warming and to respond with individual and collective faithful actions. CONTRIBUTORS: Douglas Allen, Jeffrey K. Greenberg, P. J. Hill, Sir John T. Houghton, A. Duane Litfin, Ben Lowe, Vincent E. Morris, L. Kristen Page, Lindy Scott, Noah J. Toly
Download or read book Invisible Invaders written by Connie Goldsmith and published by Twenty-First Century Books. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the most recent infectious diseases, how scientists are developing cures, and how to protect yourself.
Download or read book The Fight Over Food written by Wynne Wright and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2015-06-17 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “One problem with the food system is that price is the bottom line rather than having the bottom line be land stewardship, an appreciation for the environmental and social value of small-scale family farms, or for organically grown produce.” —Interview with farmer in Skagit County, Washington For much of the later twentieth century, food has been abundant and convenient for most residents of advanced industrial societies. The luxury of taking the safety and dependability of food for granted pushed it to the back burner in the consciousness of many. Increasingly, however, this once taken-for-granted food system is coming under question on issues such as the humane treatment of animals, genetically engineered foods, and social and environmental justice. Many consumers are no longer content with buying into the mainstream, commodity-driven food market on which they once depended. Resistance has emerged in diverse forms, from protests at the opening of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide to ever-greater interest in alternatives, such as CSAs (community-supported agriculture), fair trade, and organic foods. The food system is increasingly becoming an arena of struggle that reflects larger changes in societal values and norms, as expectations are moving beyond the desire for affordable, convenient foods to a need for healthy and environmentally sound alternatives. In this book, leading scholars and scholar-activists provide case studies that illuminate the complexities and contradictions that surround the emergence of a “new day” in agriculture. The essays found in The Fight Over Food analyze and evaluate both the theoretical and historical contexts of the agrifood system and the ways in which trends of individual action and collective activity have led to an “accumulation of resistance” that greatly affects the mainstream market of food production. The overarching theme that integrates the case studies is the idea of human agency and the ways in which people purposefully and creatively generate new forms of action or resistance to facilitate social changes within the structure of predominant cultural norms. Together these studies examine whether these combined efforts will have the strength to create significant and enduring transformations in the food system.
Download or read book Global Pandemic Threats written by Michael C. LeMay and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2016-08-29 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers an accessible reference on epidemic and pandemic diseases that provides background information and history, explains why pandemics are a newly emerging threat, identifies the difficulties in coping with them, and provides hope in the form of modern medicine. Global Pandemic Threats: A Reference Handbook provides all-encompassing coverage that introduces key concepts and traces the history of pandemics, enabling readers to grasp the complexity of the global problem and the difficulties of executing effective solutions. Written in an easy-to-understand manner, it provides a "go-to" resource that systematically addresses dozens of diseases of the past as well as re-emergent or newly emerging pathogens that have the potential of becoming pandemics. The book's extensive coverage of past pandemics includes bubonic plague, cholera, influenza, measles, smallpox, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and yellow fever, and the re-emergence of malaria, measles, pertussis (whooping cough), poliomyelitis, and other contagious diseases. It discusses a broad range of newly emerging viral threats, such as AIDS/HIV, avian flu, anthrax, botulism, Ebola, E. coli, Gulf War syndrome, hanta virus, Lassa virus, Lyme disease, Marburg virus, MERS, MRSA, Ricin, Sin Nombre virus (SNV), and West Nile virus. The work offers perspectives from individuals interested and involved in the fight, including medical professionals and health care workers; profiles of key organizations and persons; a helpful timeline of past and present pandemic outbreaks; and a glossary of key terms and concepts.
Download or read book HIV AIDS in China and India written by C. Lo and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-01-06 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book compares the policy approaches taken by China and India in dealing with HIV/AIDS, illuminating the challenges they face as they grapple with this intractable disease and identifying best practices for dealing with HIV/AIDS in the developing world and beyond.
Download or read book Health and Disease written by Diane Andrews Henningfeld and published by Greenhaven Publishing LLC. This book was released on 2010-11-09 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This essential and fascinating book explores the effects of global warming on human health. Readers will study the impacts of extreme cold snaps, and issues arising from aridity. They will evaluate the health dangers posed by hurricanes and floods. They will learn about diminished air capacity from smog, pollution, the ozone, and aero-allergens. This book also compellingly presents details about global warming and infectious disease, plus food security and food safety.
Download or read book The Politics of Public Health in the United States written by Kant Patel and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-05-20 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our public health system is primarily concerned with the promotion of health and the prevention of disease. But while everyone may agree with these goals in principle, in practice public health is a highly contentious policy arena. that is inevitably entangled with sensitive issues ranging from occupational safety and environmental hazards to health education, immunization, and treatment of addiction and sexually transmitted disease. Today however, concern for protecting the population against bio-terrorism and new epidemics such as SARS is tipping the balance back toward increased support for public health. This book focuses on the politics, policies, and methodologies of public health and the twenty-first century challenges to the public health system of the United States. It explores the system's relatively weak position in the American political culture, medical establishment, and legal system; scientific and privacy issues in public health; and the challenges posed by ecological risk and the looming threat of bio-terrorist attack. Each chapter includes study questions. The volume also includes a chronology of major laws and events in public health policy along with an extensive bibliography.
Download or read book The Economics and Business of Sustainability written by Peter N. Nemetz and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2021-09-26 with total page 373 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Given the emergence of sustainability as the defining issue of our time, it is essential for university graduates, and especially business and economics students, to have a fundamental grasp of the key issues in this emerging multidisciplinary field of study. Nemetz provides a comprehensive, detailed overview of the interlinked economic and ecological concepts central to this new discipline. Accompanying the introduction of the underlying theory is a broad array of real-world supporting data from Asia, Europe and North America. This volume also features a chapter on the threat of emerging pandemics and their significance for the achievement of a truly sustainable world. This book accentuates the value and importance of a strong sustainability approach in an age of climate change emergency. It is an ideal companion for instructors and students of sustainability in business, economics and related disciplines such as geography and political science.
