Captain of Death - by Thomas M Daniel (Paperback)

About the Book

A comprehensive examination of TB. CHOICE Outstanding Academic Book Award 1998.

Book Synopsis

A comprehensive examination of TB. CHOICE Outstanding Academic Book Award 1998.

The dramatic story of tuberculosis is told here in a straightforward and accessible style. It presents the stories of persons connected with the disease, either as victims, or as those who made contributions to our knowledge of it; in addition to these personal accounts, the book unfolds the history and explains the pathogenesis of TB.
The re-emergence of tuberculosis as a major American public health hazard has focused much attention on this ancientdisease. This book offers a comprehensive account of the disease from prehistoric times through to the present day, detailing the attempts to eradicate it completely. Its four separate sections [the spread of tuberculosis; its infectious nature; susceptibility to it; and methods of treatment] are linked through the device of presenting individuals' particular experience of the disease, whether as as victims, or as those who made contributions to our knowledge of it; in between these vignettes, the book unfolds the history and explains the pathogenesis of TB.
A detailed medical glossary completes the volume.

Thomas M. Daniel is Emeritus Professor of Medicine and International Health and Director of the Center for International Health at Case Western Reserve University.

From the Back Cover

Tuberculosis was once the feared "White Plague". Today, with sanatoria closed and a battery of drugs available to fight it, TB may seem to be on the way out. The grim facts tell a different story.

Tuberculosis kills over 3,000,000 people in the world every year, more than AIDS, malaria, and tropical diseases combined. It is the leading infectious disease cause of death, and represents more than one-quarter of the world's preventable deaths.

Captain of Death: The Story of Tuberculosis recounts the early evidence of the disease, the stories of some notable people who suffered from it, the work of those who cared for afflicted patients, and the struggle of researchers to understand it and develop effective treatments for it. The book brings to the reader a clear understanding of the past, present, and future of the disease John Bunyon called "Captain among these Men of Death" in 1660.

Review Quotes

Daniel's Captain of Death: The Story of Tuberculosis gives a fine introduction to the fascinating history of the disease, told in an unusually friendly manner. Daniel successfully communicates his love of the subject. . . and his literary style will pull the reader along effortlessly. Daniel's profound commitment to his subject is apparent.-- "NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE, Oct. 1998"

Daniel's description of the modern accounts of the bio-medical response to the disease is the most compelling part of the story.-- "AMERICAN J. OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Vol. 11"

Entertaining and instructive. . . the book [is] readily accessible to the lay public.-- "SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL TIMES"

The clarity and intelligence with which Daniel deploys his scientific knowledge to make the science of tuberculosis accessible to the general reader make this book both enjoyable and instructive.-- "MEDICAL HISTORY"

This beautifully written and thoroughly researched monograph. . . traces the history of TB from prehistory through today. It is both synoptic and chronologic in approach, and always logical and readable.-- "CHOICE, June 1998"