Customer Reviews

What's Eating You?: People and Parasites

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Eugene H. Kaplan is a wonderfully complelling teacher of biology, devoted to the idea that learning biology is a process; he writes on his blog that "I must wander 'through field and feces' to find subjects to study." In this interesting study of parasites, he suggests that all living things, including parasites themselves, have parasites, and he is an excellent guide through the many forms and relationships that parasites and hosts embody.

Kaplan has created a blog to discuss this book, and his inaugural post reflects not only his clear style of writing aimed at the novice in science but also his practical approach to the subjects that fascinate him:

"I just returned from a safari to Tanzania. All 16 of us were repeatedly bitten by tsetse flies. I felt invulnerable knowing that only one in a hundred visitors to the Serengeti comes back with sleeping sickness. But then, on arrival home, I found two substantial lesions on my arm - clearly infected insect bites. Fearing that I am "the one in a hundred" I searched for an expert in tropical medicine in New York City - there are surprisingly few. I found an expert and we are awaiting the results of the blood test."

Amazon has given a very generous sampling of the contents of this fine book. If you have any interest in the study of living creatures, you will find much to entertain, educate and inspire in his study.

Robert C. Ross 2010

Unlike many of the people who might read this book, I have actually taken a college course in Human Parasitology and worked in a hospital lab, so for me, much of it was like the proverbial trip down memory lane. That said, I must admit that I learned a few things I didn't know and was reminded of things long forgotten.
I found the book to be well written and quite entertaining. Dr. Kaplan manages to bring a lighthearted and amusing style to what could otherwise be a rather tedious subject.
This book will be right at home on the shelf of any well educated layman with an interest in medicine or any of the biological sciences. No one should be intimidated by the Latin names included throughout. There will not be a test at the end. Readers with the curiosity to seek further information about a particular pest will find them quite useful.
Reader Beware. Try to fight the urge to find too many symptoms in yourself, your family, and your associates.