The Story of Rats: Their Impact on Us, and Our Impact on Them [Paperback]

S. Anthony Barnett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2002

More than the story of how people and rats live together, this book takes a serious and intriguing look at science and scientists, the problems they solve and fail to solve, and the scope and imperfections of our scientific knowledge of the world. It answers questions such as: Are rats still a threat to human health? Do rats think? Is it true that wild rats sometimes die, unwounded, from social stress? Can studies of rat societies tell us anything useful about our own social lives? This compelling historical and social study will capture the interest of all readers—from those fascinated by rats to those who cringe—by explaining the delicate and sometimes volatile impacts humans and rats have had on each other over the centuries and into the modern age.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Everything you wanted to know about Rattus norvegicus and its kin but were too afraid to ask." —Kirkus Reviews

"Full of interesting information." —AFRMA

About the Author

S. Anthony Barnett worked as an adviser to the Indian government on controlling rats before becoming a professor of biology. He is the author of Science, Myth or Magic? and The Science of Life.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1865085197
• ISBN-13: 978-1865085197
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,213,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars They love us!, January 1, 2003

By 

Dennis Littrell (SoCal) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Story of Rats: Their Impact on Us, and Our Impact on Them (Paperback)

At any rate they should since we have created their habitats in, around and under our cities, towns and farms, and we feed them well. Occasionally we try to poison them but it never works for long. Usually, as Barnett, who is Emeritus Professor of Zoology at the Australian National University, explains they reject our poisons outright as something new in a familiar environment ("neophobia")--one of their clever tricks--and when we counter with one of OUR tricks (pre-baiting) we kill them all right, but they counter by upping their breeding schedule and soon the losses are made up.

I think Barnett does a good job of making this an interesting read although the latter parts of the book are perhaps more scientific than some would like. He begins with the rat in history and literature, recalls the black plague and other rat-carried diseases, and then tells the story of how the rat became domesticated in the nineteenth century primarily as a laboratory animal to run mazes and push levers for rewards and punishments. He explains how this white albino rat has come to differ in its habits and traits from its wild counterpart, the so-called Norway rat, noting, for example, that lab rats are usually not neophobic. Instead they approach just about anything new. There is some interesting material on the black rat which tends to live in trees or on or near the top of dwellings while the Norway likes the ground and sewers. The material on the mole rat of India and the rice rat of Malaysia and some other species could have been expanded.

Barnett goes into some of the research done on rats, both in the lab and in the field, and demonstrates just how hard it is to conduct useful and rigorous experiments and how easy it is to misread the findings. He looks into the mystery of rats seemingly dying because of stress and suggests that what kills them is a lowered immune system response to disease agents. (p. 170) There might be an unstated suggestion that stress can do the same thing to humans, perhaps to a lesser degree.

I think that Barnett's excursion into the philosophy of science and the limitations of applying animal research to humans (with quotes from philosopher K. R. Popper and geneticist R.C. Lewontin) toward the end of the book might have worked better in some other volume. At any rate I would have preferred instead more material on Barnett's personal experiences with rats. The material he does give us from his early days in London during World War II and from his lifelong research and experience is interesting and could have been expanded, especially in a book like this aimed at a general readership.

There are a number of black and white photos and drawings of rats, a Glossary, a list of References, and an Index. Bottom line: interesting and not nearly as repellant as a work on rats could easily be.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, A Must Have for Rat Lovers, July 17, 2004

By 

Vanessa Greenfield (NY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Story of Rats: Their Impact on Us, and Our Impact on Them (Paperback)

Barnett has spent most of his life studying rats and writes an excellent book on their society, habits, and impact on humans. Although hated and feared by most people, Barnett's work with and observations of these rodents seems to have given him appreciation for the survivors rats are. Unsensationalized and respectful, Barnett offers an honest view of rats place among us and ours among them.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, April 7, 2002

By 

"summerel4" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Story of Rats: Their Impact on Us, and Our Impact on Them (Paperback)

Whether you love rats, hate rats, or have no understanding of them at all, this is a great book. It's very objective, written in an accessible format, and absolutely fascinating.
This book should be a must read for anyone who keeps rats as pets, as it lends a much better understanding of "rat psychology" than one would get from simple pet care books.