Dr. Desowitz writes about tropical diseases, as the title shows, but
he does it in a humorous way that is understandable to just about any
reader. What happens in this book is quite simple. The Earth evolves,
weather develops and alters from hot to cold, and man evolves during a warm
period. Man develops diseases that flourish in a tropical climate, and
they are spread as explorers and discoverers move across the globe. From
50,000 B.C. to 2500 A.D. the story has been the same. Diseases such as
malaria, yellow fever, and different strains of worms have existed for
thousands of years, and will continue to exist. Man passes these diseases,
and so do insects and the tropical climate itself. Man will continue to
pass down these diseases, and new, more hardy strains will continue to
develop. This has happened throughout history, and it will happen again.
This book is a virtual history of disease and how it travels.
Scientific method was certainly used in this book, because the study
and understanding of various diseases is based on scientific study.
However, history also played a large part in the book, because the author
traces the diseases he talks about chronologically through history, and
shows how mans' evolution contributed to the spread of tropical diseases.
Dr. Desowitz clearly is a scientist, and he looks at diseases
scientifically (such as his close scrutiny of Midwestern prairie dog towns
and their prevalence or (lack) of plague, but he also infuses the book with
humor - something vital to creating interest and understanding in the
reader. Part scientist, part historian, and part humorist, Dr. Desowitz
manages to make disease interesting and entertaining, which ultimately
makes the reader want to learn more. This is not often the case in
scientific study and journals, and so, it might seem unusual for a book
based in scientific fact, but it works, and that ...