|
|
Book Review
Beasts of the Earth: Animals,
Humans, and Disease
E. Fuller Torrey and Robert H. Yolken
Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, NJ, USA, 2005
ISBN: 0-81-353571-9
Pages: 191, Price US$23.95
Suggested
citation for this article
In their new book Beasts of the Earth: Animals, Humans, and Disease,
Torrey and Yolken provide us with a thoroughly researched and well-written
account of the animal origins of many human diseases. With interesting
insight into this very timely topic, the authors describe the impact of
animals and their diseases on the rise and subsequent decline of ancient
civilizations. The book traces the history of humans' relationship with
animals as humans evolved from hunters to villagers, traders, and, more
recently, pet owners and international consumers, an evolutionary process
that has given microbes unlimited passports to new populations and geographic
areas. As testament to the adaptability of these pathogens, the book describes
the increasing challenges to global health presented by zoonotic infections
recently emerging from parts of Asia and Africa.
Fortunately, Torrey and Yolken also have plenty of advice for how the
scientific community can address these challenges. The authors strongly
emphasize the need for closer coordination and communication between the
medical and veterinary sectors at national and international levels. Stressing
that it is illogical for the animal and human health worlds to conduct
zoonotic disease research separately, they state that interdisciplinary
zoonotic disease research centers should be the model research platforms
for the future.
Those who have read the 2003 Institute of Medicine Report Microbial Threats
to Health: Emergence Detection and Response (Institute of Medicine, 2003)
may find many of the themes in this book familiar. However, as the authors
chillingly state, "We live with these pathogens in a negotiated peace,
but what happens when biological circumstances change?" Torrey and
Yolken do an excellent job of reminding us of the interconnectedness between
human and animal hosts and their pathogens and environments.
Nina Marano*
*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Suggested citation
for this article:
Marano N. Beasts of
the earth: animals, humans, and disease [book review]. Emerg Infect Dis
[serial on the Internet]. 2005 May [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol11no07/05-0527.htm
|
