Pfiesteria: Crossing Dark Water tells the true story of this public health menace. It describes how the "doc from Pocomoke" made the first confirmed diagnosis of human illness, and then developed the first successful treatment for victims of the disease. Dr. Shoemaker explains how the conclusions of a blue ribbon state commission -- which blamed pfiesteria blooms on runoff of nutrients from chicken farms -- were not supported by water quality tests done by the State of Maryland. At the same time, the doctor's own "predator-prey" theories of pfiesteria show how simple substitution of agricultural fungicides and copper in animal feeds could prevent pfiesteria blooms in the Chesapeake Bay. He also demonstrates how a simple nontoxic chemical can be used to stop active toxin production in a kill area.
This is the story of how one physician took on an entrenched bureaucracy, challenged environmental dogma and won.
Pfiesteria: Crossing Dark Water is a story of media, politics, economics, medicine and a remarkable scientific discovery.
