The Secret Life of Germs

Despite the remarkable advances of medical science, despite the fact that diseases that once decimated entire populations are themselves extinct, germs and microbes are challenging medicine in ways that were unimaginable only a decade ago. Germs are now being linked to a host of ailments, and every year some new horror story on killer germs surfaces. Suddenly it seems that there is an explosion of infections never before reported in modern history, all caused by arcane germs. In THE SECRET LIFE OF GERMS, Dr. Philip Tierno explains what kinds of threats actually exist by revealing the mechanisms behind some 150 recent germ 'events'. He dismantles sensationalist media scares to offer a glimpse of the underlying principles of the miracle of life, and takes the reader into the elegantly ordered world of microbes. He discusses pioneers of the 'Germ Century', such as Louis Pasteur, examines the 'germ factory' that is the human body, and scrutinizes a typical home. Yet with all this potentially terrifying information, Dr. Tierno is at heart an optimist. The recycling of matter, he explains, is the key to the perpetuation of life as we know it. Were it not for the action of germs, the earth would be uninhabitable. This incredible book is both a practical home resource and a fascinating guide to the hidden mysteries of the world around us, an engaging account that will keep readers mesmerized while helping them stay healthy.