Elizabeth B. (Cattriona) -
Scientists are not the paragons of virtue that they might appear -- that's a main lesson from this book. Though the blurb mentions Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the first 100 pages are all about scientist Robert Koch, his experiments to prove that bacteria exist and cause disease, and his vocal, public spats with fellow scientists of the day, such as Lister, who tried to prove him wrong. Koch's self-proclaimed cure for tuberculosis turns out to be quackery, and this inspires Conan Doyle to eventually turn to a life of writing rather than medicine.
The science here is written for the layman, with enough details to be interesting without drowning the reader in technical details. While the storyline is fascinating, and the squabbling scientists read like a modern-day medical gossip column, ultimately things could have benefited from some tighter editing and trimming the story down -- I don't think we need a full history of Conan Doyle's writing about Sherlock Holmes in order to understand his role in the search for a TB cure. With those caveats, this is an interesting read about a disease which still threatens lives worldwide. Recommended.
Note: This review was based upon an Advanced Reader's Copy.
The science here is written for the layman, with enough details to be interesting without drowning the reader in technical details. While the storyline is fascinating, and the squabbling scientists read like a modern-day medical gossip column, ultimately things could have benefited from some tighter editing and trimming the story down -- I don't think we need a full history of Conan Doyle's writing about Sherlock Holmes in order to understand his role in the search for a TB cure. With those caveats, this is an interesting read about a disease which still threatens lives worldwide. Recommended.
Note: This review was based upon an Advanced Reader's Copy.
