Twelve Diseases That Changed Our World By Dr. Irwin W Sherman - Essay Example

 Twelve Diseases That Changed Our World By Dr. Irwin W Sherman PhD Introduction: Dr. Irwin Sherman PhD is a distinguished parasitologist with exceptional achievements in malaria research. His work includes biochemistry, physiology, immunogenesis, chemotherapy, and interaction with host red blood cells. He has written many books related to his area of study. One among them is the book titled “Twelve Diseases That Changed Our World”. Dr Irwin Sherman has produced a study about twelve diseases that changed our world. The book deserves attention. The book titled “Twelve Diseases That Changed Our World” offers engaging observations on a dozen of diseases. Interestingly the book serves two goals. The opening chapters meet the book title’s guarantee by tracing the impact of inherited blood disorders porphyria and hemophilia on the succession of European royals in the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The book also presents a fascinating account of the consequences of a potato blight in Ireland during 1840’s, which forced exodus of millions to England as well as North America. After that, the book turns to the subject of contagious ailments and the lessons learned since previous reactions to unexpected occurrence of disease to tell preparedness for potential occurrences. In particular, the chapters are dedicated to the study of cholera, smallpox, bubonic plaque, syphilis, tuberculosis, malaria, fever, influenza, and last but not the least AIDS. These subjects are known territory for Dr. Sherman, who has also written “The Power of Plagues”, in which he also looks at seven of these infections; his authority of the subject matter is quite apparent. As stated, Dr Sherman has included many diseases that the readers expected; they are plague, cholera, tuberculosis, smallpox, syphilis, malaria, influenza, yellow fever, and AIDS. But he has not included a little that busted up frequently in the comments, these includes leprosy, measles, and typhoid. A learning of these could have been simply informative especially the case of leprosy, because much of the disgrace emotionally involved to that disease still reverberates even in modern society. Dr Sherman comments than a comprehensive study of diseases would really have been boring, and that was not his objective in writing the book on twelve diseases. Rather, he elucidates that the book is about the we have or should have learned from our what went before encounters with unexpected occurrences of disease and how such perceptive can be positioned to use when future outbreaks of diseases occur. When speaking about the contents, every section is crammed with information ranging from pathogenesis as well as clinical demonstrations to epidemiologic computations along with antimicrobial drug confrontations. Moreover interestingly a restricted number of suggestions are given in the closing book notes; they are grouped by chapter and page number, these offers supplementary resources for the readers who are seeking more information. One among the interesting sections of the book is the accounting of nineteenth century pioneers in the field of epidemiology and transmittable diseases. These includes John Snow’s exploit of premature epidemiologic apparatus to connect cholera deaths through water from the Broad Street pump, Louis Pasteur’s development of life saving vaccines, Robert Koch’s invention of tubercle bacillus bacteria and also the cholera vibro. All these facts get their deserved attention. Moreover Florence Nightingale’s use of numerical information to reveal progress in patient hygiene comes as a very nice surprise. Dr Sherman provides his underlying principle for opting for the diseases he did: diseases that have shaped our history and enlightened the trails taken in discovery of procedures to control and overpower them. It's for this reason that he had included the three diseases namely porphyria, hemophilia, and potato blight. Noticeably the first two of the diseases are not immense in terms of death, but Dr Sherman argue that these diseases, because of their existence in many European royalties, has predisposed the history of England, Spain, Germany, Russia, as well as the United States. He reiterates that for example, the Bolshevik revolution in Russia could have been shunned if the royal family had superior genes. Potato blight, of course, does not infect humans but the consequence of the blight on the potato crops and the ensuing food crisis in Ireland led to around one million deaths and the spreading of the Irish population across the world, this has surely changed the political background of the U.S. The rest of the matter in the book covers the usual suspects: they are contagious diseases that have had caused high death and characteristically large effects on human society. Whilst a great deal of the metaphors of the rest of these diseases is expected to be familiar with the readers. In the historical and cultural context, Dr Sherman puts them in and the bigger downstream effects they have had in human history. These are found to be very valuable additions. Dr Sherman also has included pertinent parenthesis in many of the chapters of the book, like momentarily establishing the fundamentals of immunity and vaccination in the chapter related on smallpox, for example, discussing Paul Ehrlich's investigation for treatment for a variety of contagious diseases in the chapter associated with syphilis. By reading Dr Sherman’s book, the major five diseases that are identified include small pox, tuberculosis, syphilis, HIV/AIDS, and bubonic plague. The etiologies suggested by him are also included in the respective chapters. With regard to small pox, Dr Sherman insists that the best way to eradicate this disease is through vaccination. For tuberculosis, use of antibiotics is recommended. Moreover promotion of pasteurization and building up of sanitariums are other measures put forward by Dr Sherman. Syphilis once treated with heavy metals like mercury had devastating effects on patients. The best drug for this disease is salvorsan invented by Paul Ehrlich. HIV/AIDS is given due importance by the author. He insists that the best therapy available for this disease is behavioral control other than life saving drugs. As in the case of bubonic plague, quarantine is essential. The author notes parallels between popular reactions to the plague in medieval era and reactions to AIDS in the modern era. The book also invites a few criticisms. First, Dr Sherman's use of prose is thought to be a bit dry. Maybe this is because he is a scientist, rather than a seasoned writer. But the book has a taste to some extent in between a text book and a regular admired science book: accessible to the general public, but it lacks interest. Moreover Dr Sherman is quite bumpy in clearing up some thoughts as well, and has a small number of utter minor mistakes in the chapter dedicated to influenza. Here the writer still asserts that there are fifteen instead of sixteen hemagglutinin kinds, and also puts weighty importance on the pig as a mixing vessel for strains of the virus, with extra inadequate argument of straight jumps from birds to humans. The writer, Dr Sherman also appears to perplex quarantine with segregation in the influenza chapter, telling that quarantine would not work for influenza for the reason that patients are contagious past to the advancement of indications. This is, to be sure, why segregation does not work well, but quarantine is exactly for those exposed but asymptomatic. Therefore for those in the cracking stage may well be recognized and put into quarantine prior to contaminating others. This is a negligible carp and definitely is not something that would hassle the normal reader, but higher standards are expected because this book is from the American society of Microbiology. Last but not the least, a big drawback of Dr Sherman's book is its spotlight primarily on Western history and society even though he does talk about Africa in some sections. His handling of the eastern part of the globe is pretty much missing. One among the major eastern countries, China in fact, only shows up in the index as regards influenza pandemics. It's too bad, for a book that brought all the different diseases together through human history and its effect on the universal culture. However, Dr Sherman's book is a fine elementary textbook for those looking for a summarizing synopsis of the effect of a variety of diseases that have had on our political and social history. Dr Sherman has used some incredible books as reference in his work. The books that are used for reference have proved beneficial for Dr Sherman in his work. A brief volume written for the general readers, the book titled “Twelve Diseases That Changed Our World” gives an outstanding foundation for the study of public health as well as infection control. Conclusion: Outwardly, the book looks interesting and wide-ranging. However, after reading it thoroughly disappointment can arise because of Dr Sherman's selection of diseases namely porphyria/hemophilia, cholera, potato blight, malaria, syphilis, TB, smallpox, black death, yellow fever, influenza, and AIDS as widely covering both the range of pathogens i.e. from fungus to bacteria and to virus and moreover the mode of transmission I.e. inherited, airborne or droplet, water-borne, STD, vector-borne etc, that have prejudiced human activity for the precedent several centuries. Somewhat, the problem is with the profundity of discussion and the supposed audience. I would definitely recommend this book to the beginners of this study but no to professionals. Apart from minor mistakes made by Dr Sherman, the contents of this book truly relates to what was studied at class. Reading this book has also opened other area of thinking like the theory put forward by Dr Sherman that past experiences can be fruitfully used to tackle future problems. It has also given new insights about the importance of public health and disease control (Sherman 2007). References: Sherman I.W (2007). Twelve Diseases That Changed Our World. Virginia: ASM press. Read More