About the Author

Robert S. Desowitz (1926—2008) was a leading epidemiologist and the author of New Guinea Tape Worms and Jewish Grandmothers and The Malaria Capers, among other books.

Reviews

"Like such eminent science writers as Stephen Jay Gould and Lewis Thomas, Mr. Desowitz manages to make the basic principles of his subject immediately comprehensible to the general reader. He has also succeeded in giving us a profound appreciation of the ways in which scientific and medical knowledge advances, through hypothesis, error and experiment, through serendipity, dedication, and perseverance." -- Michiko Kakutani - New York Times "Like a novelist, [Desowitz] draws the reader into the human tragedy of disease... Rich in historical-medical detective stories." -- Betty Ann Kevles - Los Angeles Times "A gripping account of how a one-celled protozoan has triumphed over modern science." -- Wall Street Journal