What`s Eating You? - People and Parasites

Erscheinungsjahr 2010
ISBN: 978-0-691-14140-4
Verlag: Princeton University Press

Buch, Englisch, 320 Seiten, Format (B × H): 166 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 590 g

In What's Eating You? Eugene Kaplan recounts the true and harrowing tales of his adventures with parasites, and in the process introduces readers to the intimately interwoven lives of host and parasite. Kaplan has spent his life traveling the globe exploring oceans and jungles, and incidentally acquiring parasites in his gut. Here, he leads readers on an unforgettable journey into the bizarre yet oddly beautiful world of parasites. In a narrative that is by turns frightening, disgusting, and laugh-out-loud funny, Kaplan describes how drinking contaminated water can cause a three-foot-long worm to burst from your arm; how he "gave birth" to a parasite the size and thickness of a pencil while working in Israel; why you should never wave a dead snake in front of your privates; and why fleas are attracted to his wife. Kaplan tells stories about leeches feasting on soldiers in Vietnam; sea cucumbers with teeth in their anuses that seem to encourage the entry of symbiotic fish; the habits of parasites that cause dysentery, river blindness, and other horrifying diseases--and much, much more. Along the way, he explains the underlying science, including parasite evolution and host-parasite physiology. Informative, frequently lurid, and hugely entertaining, this beautifully illustrated book is a must-read for health-conscious travelers, and anyone who has ever wondered if they picked up a tapeworm from that last sushi dinner.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kaplan, Eugene H.

Fachgebiete

• Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Medizinische Fachgebiete Medizinische Parasitologie
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Parasitologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface: Personal Parasites ix

Acknowledgments xi

Apologia xiii

On the Sacredness of Life xv

Introduction. The Saline Solution--An Inner Sea 1

Chapter 1: Land of Smiles 6

Chapter 2: An Encounter with Jordan Rose 15

Chapter 3: I Had a Farm in Africa 25

Chapter 4: Death of a Mouse 33

Chapter 5: Intimate Relationships 40

Chapter 6: A Peek into the Anus of--My Child 48

Chapter 7: The Well-Hung Dog 58

Chapter 8: Fiery Serpent 69

Chapter 9: It Hardly Ever Happens 75

Chapter 10: The Anti-Semitic Tapeworm 82

Chapter 11: Mother Always Wanted Me to Be a Real Doctor 91

Chapter 12: Missus Murphy's Baby 98

Chapter 13: The Day I Flunked the Macho Test 109

Chapter 14: The Biblical Plagues 117

Chapter 15: Alley Cats and Seagulls 127

Chapter 16: A Better Mousetrap 137

Chapter 17: Scandals and Ghosts 144

Chapter 18: Spiny-Headed Monsters 155

Chapter 19: Bloodsucking Beasts 165

Chapter 20: Ode to a Cockroach 174

Chapter 21: Bats, Bugs, and Bloody Bites 184

Chapter 22: Little Fleas Have Littler Fleas 195

Chapter 23: How to Get Rid of Crabs 203

Chapter 24: Wild Virgins 211

Inexplicable Behavior: Some Relationships Are More Intimate Than Others 221

Chapter 25: Topsy-Turvy Worlds 224

Chapter 26: A Day in the Caribbean 235

Chapter 27: Tit, Tit, Tittie--Cuckoo 245

Chapter 28: The Game of Life: Name That Category 251

Chapter 29: Paean of Praise 257

Chapter 30: Tips for Travelers 268

Epilogue 277

Glossary 281

Selected References 293

Illustration Sources 295

Index 297

Über Autor(innen)

Kaplan, Eugene H.
Eugene H. Kaplan is the Donald E. Axinn Endowed Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Conservation (emeritus) at Hofstra University. His many books include "Sensuous Seas: Tales of a Marine Biologist" (Princeton) and "A Field Guide to Southeastern and Caribbean Seashores" (Peterson Field Guides).