Where the Germs Are: A Scientific Safari
by Nicholas Bakalar
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Book Summary Information
Author: Nicholas BakalarEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-01-03
ISBN: 0471155896
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Wiley
Book Reviews of Where the Germs Are: A Scientific Safari
Book Review: Very informative, not necessarily very entertaining
Summary: 2 Stars
Germs, primarily made up of bacteria and viruses, are as ubiquitous as air-they live everywhere in our homes, including inside our bodies. The book seeks to provide us with a practical guide for living with germs in a way that reduces the risks of incurring harm. He opens with a general discussion of what constitutes a germ, and catalogues some of the more notorious types and species. He then devotes a chapter each to the germs in a different area of our lives: in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in laundry, in children and child feces, in sexual acts (mostly STDs), in pets, flu and cold germs, in drinking water, in the outdoors, in public areas, and finally, a discussion of what products are beneficial in dealing with germs.
The Good and the Bad:
I was really looking forward to this book, but found it to be a disappointment.
The back cover promises that the book is "often delightfully funny," but I didn't really get that at all. It is less dry than, for example, a research paper on the same topic, but it falls far short of similar books about interesting facets of life (the book "Cod" comes to mind). The writing was far too bogged down in technical terms, and the author was far more focused on comprehensiveness than he should have been. The witticisms were just too few and far between to bridge the gaps.
I think a better approach, when given this topic, would be to gather together all of the interesting facts, myths, anecdotes, historical anomalies, etc., and tried to find an organization system that would best present them all. But this author has instead taken all of the information that's out there, irrespective of the likelihood that it would be of interest to the general reader, and given each microbe its due. There is an effort to include interesting anecdotes, the large majority of which involve some sort of outbreak of sickness in one part of the country or other, but they fall short of the ideal. The author seems to be primarily a public health expert, and secondarily an author (although he has written ten books).
This extends to the handful of illustrations in the book (tellingly labeled "Figures" as in a scientific paper), which are chosen by some criteria that I don't understand or appreciate, the least helpful of which might be the fuzzy picture of a Carnation Festival in Alliance, Ohio which took place months after a meningitis scare in the area had died down. I certainly hope that Bakalar had a personal reason (such as knowing the "carnation queen") for including the picture, because there was no value added for the reader.
What did he do right? Well, he's done a very good job at lightening the text, given that he prioritized comprehensiveness. But his real achievement is in giving good, practical advice that walks the balance between OCD behavior and complete sloppiness. Further, he presents a range of acceptable germ-prevention behavior, and invites us to find our own comfort level.
What I learned:
Lots of information in this book. My take, after reading the book, is that being extremely vigilant against germs will reduce my chances of contracting a serious illness from something like one in a hundred thousand to one in five hundred thousand (my numbers based on an impression, not remotely scientifically accurate). When it comes to mild illnesses, such as colds and diarrhea-inducing stomach ailments, a slob might be in for five such episodes per year, while a very germ-vigilant person might be in for one episode per year. So, if the added security and freedom from illness are important to you, invest the time and energy needed to stay away from potentially harmful germs. But if you're willing to take your chances, don't worry about it.
One interesting side note was the misleading claims of cleaning products that have antibacterial agents in them. He cites several studies that show that there is no benefit to using them, and a few others that imply that they might actually cause some harm. So when it comes to antibacterial or anti-microbial products, avoid them. This was one of the best chapters in the book, and I wish it had come a little earlier.
Summary of Where the Germs Are: A Scientific Safari
A guided tour through the strange and sometimes dangerous microscopic worldGerms are everywhere--in our intestines and on our skin as well as on kitchen counters, public toilets, doorknobs, and just about everything else. Why are there so many microorganisms? Which ones are dangerous? And how can we avoid the ones that will make us sick? This entertaining and informative book provides the answers. Profiling a rogue's gallery of harmful germs--from the influenza virus, salmonella, and herpes to hepatitis, tuberculosis, and HIV--as well as helpful microbes (we actually need E. Coli and other bacteria for proper digestion), the book reveals how different germs interact with the human body and what happens when they do.
Nicholas Bakalar (New York, NY) is the author or coauthor of ten books, including Hepatitis A to G and Wiping Out Head Lice.
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