The Epic Battle Between People and Pathogens
Great book for nowadays.
Antimicrobial resistance does have a future, one that is going to affect the way we get to live and die. The potential doomsday scenario of tens of millions dead annually is real, but so are the hopeful developments of the last few years. On the technical side, there is promise in vaccines and phage therapies. On the economic front, ideas are being proposed that incentivize pharmaceutical companies to commit themselves to research and development.3 There is a new sense of urgency within the WHO to improve surveillance and empower all countries, rich and poor, large and small.
Bacteria will continue to do what they have done since the dawn of life—evolve, adapt, and get ready for the next battle for survival. Our actions are helping them acquire a better arsenal at a faster rate than they probably would have on their own. But despite the challenges and frustrations, in the hundreds of interviews that I conducted for this book, there was a sense of optimism about the future. That optimism stems from a belief in human ingenuity, the vast reserves of natural treasures that are untapped, and the power of coming together. That optimism is also predicated on two things: a commitment to peace, and a desire to care for all people—everywhere.This is the index:
Chapter 1: What We’re Up Against
Chapter 2: Fifty Million Dead
Chapter 3: Time and Space
Chapter 4: Friends in Far Places
Chapter 5: Near the Seed Vault
Chapter 6: Keys to Karachi
Chapter 7: War and Peace
Chapter 8: From the Phages of History
Chapter 9: Sulfa and the War
Chapter 10: Mold Juice
Chapter 11: Tablets from Tears
Chapter 12: The New Pandemic
Chapter 13: The Man in the Blue Mustang
Chapter 14: Honeymoon
Chapter 15: Mating Bacteria
Chapter 16: S Is for Soviet
Chapter 17: The Navy Boys
Chapter 18: From Animals to Humans
Chapter 19: The Norwegian Salmon
Chapter 20: Closer to Sydney Than to Perth
Chapter 21: A Classless Problem
Chapter 22: The Stubborn Wounds of War
Chapter 23: Counting the Dead
Chapter 24: Clues in the Sewage
Chapter 25: X Is for Extensive
Chapter 26: Too Much or Too Little?
Chapter 27: Visa Not Required
Chapter 28: The Dry Pipeline
Chapter 29: New Ways to Do Old Business
Chapter 30: A Three-Hundred-Year-Old Idea
Chapter 31: Spoonful of Sugar
Chapter 32: Conflict Inside the Cells
Chapter 33: Security or Service?
Chapter 34: One World, One Health
Chapter 35: Bankers, Doctors, and Diplomats
Epilogue
