Human Wildlife: The Life That Lives on Us
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By: Robert Buckman
Format: Paperback
From: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Pub. Date: January 2003
From: The Johns Hopkins University Press
Pub. Date: January 2003
Product Details:
Catalog: Book
Release Date: 2003-02-14
Media: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 208
Ean: 9780801874079
Isbn: 0801874076
Catalog: Book
Release Date: 2003-02-14
Media: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 208
Ean: 9780801874079
Isbn: 0801874076
ABOUT THE BOOK
EDITORIAL REVIEW
Your body has 100 trillion cells, but only 10 trillion are human. The rest belong to the bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites that live on or in us. Some of these tenants are actually beneficial, aiding in the digestion process, for example. The majority of them neither help nor hurt us, but simply coexist with us. A few species, however, from the cholera bacilli to tapeworms and lice, can be dangerous, and sometimes deadly.
In Human Wildlife, Dr. Robert Buckman takes readers on a safari through the human body, pointing out the long-term residents, the itinerant visitors, the irritating vandals, and the ruthless invaders, carefully distinguishing between helpful friends, harmless acquaintances, and lethal foes. By turns funny, amazing, and alarming, Human Wildlife is an endlessly fascinating journey through our own private biospheres.
Along the way, we learn that one-third of the human race is allergic to dust mite feces; that bad breath is caused by bacteria living on the back of our tongues which release sulfur from the protein we eat; that live maggots are being successfully used to treat drug-resistant infections; that fresh sweat is odorless (the smell results from the activity of armpit bacteria); and that the average kitchen cutting board has more bacteria than the top of a toilet seat. Accompanied by stunning, full-color and high-magnification images of these myriad organisms, Dr. Buckman's informative and engrossing text is leavened with a delightful sense of humor.
USER REVIEWS
"I read the 2003 paperback edition of the originally 2002 book.
Parasites, benign bacteria, human smells, suspicious hygiene issues, body horrors: This is the coffee-table book, "beautifully" pictured, which will dampen your appetite for coffee. (Where has that coffee cup been cleaned? Hopefully not in the kitchen sink!) Contemporarily, the general public is displaying serious lacks in education in the above essential topics. Count me in. After that easy to read and at times tremendously funny book I feel a bit more enlightened. But don't think, that book is all you would need to know about human wildlife. Additional books, more text oriented, are listed below.
As for the pictures: They are fascinating, as microscopic photography usually is. However, I am not THAT incredibly delighted with the quality of ALL the pictures. The best ones are taken from electron microscopes. The ones of the silvery monochrome type. Most of these have been colored for this book in the spirit of Andy Warhol. The funny thing is, the caption of only one picture reveals that, as if the others were in true colors. Yet, I have to say, the effect is entertaining. Not really scientific, but who cares? There are a lot of pictures of all the experts the author has consulted. (The author isn't an expert on the book's topics, but an oncologist in real life.) Pictures which are of debatable information value. As in: Give me more pictures to disgust... I mean to flabbergast me instead! Additionally, these portraits look like freeze frames taken from TV. Some maybe taken with a mobile. Actually, this book has been a six-part mini-series on the Canadian Discovery Channel known by the same title. The message being here: If I want a coffee-table book, I expect ALL pictures to be top notch. For a comparison enjoy A Grain of Sand: Nature's Secret Wonder, a scientific and entertaining coffee-table book of microscopic photography of beaches.
The content information is a plus: I have heard about maggot therapy, but I didn't know that the baby flies breath through their back ends, because their front ends are greedily headfirst engaged in our inflamed, rotten flesh. I knew about pheromones, but I didn't know that we wouldn't have any without bacteria. (Actually, I am in need of more in-depth information as I read elsewhere that pubic hair produce pheromones. This book vaguely mentions that bacteria TRANSFORM material into pheromones.) I knew that tapeworms are usually intersexual, but I didn't know about some tapeworm species which are successively so, i.e. not with all their segments at the same time. I am not entirely sure wether I wanted to know, what exactly house dust consists of. Well, actually, I DID wander about that many years ago, but now I preferred nobody had answered that question. Actually, it's a mild revelation compared to what happens when you leave your tooth brush in the bathroom...
Be aware that a lot of issues were little overstood in 2002, as the author mentions a couple of times. And that human knowledge currently doubles every five years. The bigger distance you have put between your presence of time and 2002, the more sense it makes to search for a new book in addition.
Another great book about parasites is Riddled with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites That Make Us Who We Are. If you are interested in more symbiotic body roomies, largely restricted to bacteria and in a systematic text book presentation, read the rather dry Microbial Inhabitants of Humans: Their Ecology and Role in Health and Disease. Much more grippingly written is Good Germs, Bad Germs: Health and Survival in a Bacterial World by a science journalist. Which is also about the history if antibiotic treatments and their failure due to mounting resistance. About former parasites, today our energy source and DNA family tree provider, mitochondria, read Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life. A more general biological approach of symbiosis is Liaisons of Life: From Hornworts to Hippos--How the Unassuming Microbe has Driven Evolution. A theoretic re-thinking, including reconstructing taxonomy and theories about gaia, read Symbiotic Planet: A New Look At Evolution. Another book with fewer, but some maybe juicier pictures (tongue with eyes!) is Parasite Rex : Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures."
~ Written on 2008-08-01
Parasites, benign bacteria, human smells, suspicious hygiene issues, body horrors: This is the coffee-table book, "beautifully" pictured, which will dampen your appetite for coffee. (Where has that coffee cup been cleaned? Hopefully not in the kitchen sink!) Contemporarily, the general public is displaying serious lacks in education in the above essential topics. Count me in. After that easy to read and at times tremendously funny book I feel a bit more enlightened. But don't think, that book is all you would need to know about human wildlife. Additional books, more text oriented, are listed below.
As for the pictures: They are fascinating, as microscopic photography usually is. However, I am not THAT incredibly delighted with the quality of ALL the pictures. The best ones are taken from electron microscopes. The ones of the silvery monochrome type. Most of these have been colored for this book in the spirit of Andy Warhol. The funny thing is, the caption of only one picture reveals that, as if the others were in true colors. Yet, I have to say, the effect is entertaining. Not really scientific, but who cares? There are a lot of pictures of all the experts the author has consulted. (The author isn't an expert on the book's topics, but an oncologist in real life.) Pictures which are of debatable information value. As in: Give me more pictures to disgust... I mean to flabbergast me instead! Additionally, these portraits look like freeze frames taken from TV. Some maybe taken with a mobile. Actually, this book has been a six-part mini-series on the Canadian Discovery Channel known by the same title. The message being here: If I want a coffee-table book, I expect ALL pictures to be top notch. For a comparison enjoy A Grain of Sand: Nature's Secret Wonder, a scientific and entertaining coffee-table book of microscopic photography of beaches.
The content information is a plus: I have heard about maggot therapy, but I didn't know that the baby flies breath through their back ends, because their front ends are greedily headfirst engaged in our inflamed, rotten flesh. I knew about pheromones, but I didn't know that we wouldn't have any without bacteria. (Actually, I am in need of more in-depth information as I read elsewhere that pubic hair produce pheromones. This book vaguely mentions that bacteria TRANSFORM material into pheromones.) I knew that tapeworms are usually intersexual, but I didn't know about some tapeworm species which are successively so, i.e. not with all their segments at the same time. I am not entirely sure wether I wanted to know, what exactly house dust consists of. Well, actually, I DID wander about that many years ago, but now I preferred nobody had answered that question. Actually, it's a mild revelation compared to what happens when you leave your tooth brush in the bathroom...
Be aware that a lot of issues were little overstood in 2002, as the author mentions a couple of times. And that human knowledge currently doubles every five years. The bigger distance you have put between your presence of time and 2002, the more sense it makes to search for a new book in addition.
Another great book about parasites is Riddled with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites That Make Us Who We Are. If you are interested in more symbiotic body roomies, largely restricted to bacteria and in a systematic text book presentation, read the rather dry Microbial Inhabitants of Humans: Their Ecology and Role in Health and Disease. Much more grippingly written is Good Germs, Bad Germs: Health and Survival in a Bacterial World by a science journalist. Which is also about the history if antibiotic treatments and their failure due to mounting resistance. About former parasites, today our energy source and DNA family tree provider, mitochondria, read Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life. A more general biological approach of symbiosis is Liaisons of Life: From Hornworts to Hippos--How the Unassuming Microbe has Driven Evolution. A theoretic re-thinking, including reconstructing taxonomy and theories about gaia, read Symbiotic Planet: A New Look At Evolution. Another book with fewer, but some maybe juicier pictures (tongue with eyes!) is Parasite Rex : Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures."
~ Written on 2008-08-01
"The other reviews of this book already give you more than enough information to make an educated purchasing choice. I will instead give you a "reader response" criticism.
I enjoyed "Human Wildlife". The writing style is great and the illustrations are wonderful. The only problem I encountered was that the occasional misspelled word distracted from the flow of the narrative.
Hopefully in the next edition the editor will run a spell checker.
Otherwise, this was a fun book. "
~ Written on 2008-02-21
I enjoyed "Human Wildlife". The writing style is great and the illustrations are wonderful. The only problem I encountered was that the occasional misspelled word distracted from the flow of the narrative.
Hopefully in the next edition the editor will run a spell checker.
Otherwise, this was a fun book. "
~ Written on 2008-02-21
"This is the second review I have written for this book. The first somehow disappeared so now I will try again. My child was doing a presentation at his school and needed resources. I found this at a library. He could not put it down. I skimmed through it and was very impressed. So I bought it. The photographs are fantastic, the wording is very educational and quite hilarious, and there was so much information that, had there not been a 3 book minimum on the bibliography, this would have been the only one he needed. I cannot recommend it enough for any budding scientist."
~ Written on 2007-07-17
~ Written on 2007-07-17
"Human Wildlife: The Life That Lives on Us, by Robert Buckman, is... what? Delightful? No. Awe-inspiring? Nope! Motivating? Not this one.
How about interesting, eye-popping, and entertaining?
This book, a sort of "natural history guide" to the wildlife on planet human, is presented in a folksy style. I kept envisioning myself sitting in a lecture being given by Dr. Buckman. He really is knowledgeable and witty.
From maggot therapy, to the origin of bad breath, to the creepy life of the nasty Guinea worm, to the smells formerly known as "cutting the cheese," this attractive (?) book is a wealth of information. I'm sure the point of the book is to make readers aware of what lies within.
So whether you smell volatile sulfur compounds coming from your tongue or... the other end, or you'd rather smell lavender than old t-shirts, you are influenced by the small things that live inside and upon us. [If the previous sentence is mysterious, you'll need to read the book!]
I am guessing that Dr. Buckman would be a popular lecturer! I wonder if he is on the speaking circuit."
~ Written on 2006-12-09
How about interesting, eye-popping, and entertaining?
This book, a sort of "natural history guide" to the wildlife on planet human, is presented in a folksy style. I kept envisioning myself sitting in a lecture being given by Dr. Buckman. He really is knowledgeable and witty.
From maggot therapy, to the origin of bad breath, to the creepy life of the nasty Guinea worm, to the smells formerly known as "cutting the cheese," this attractive (?) book is a wealth of information. I'm sure the point of the book is to make readers aware of what lies within.
So whether you smell volatile sulfur compounds coming from your tongue or... the other end, or you'd rather smell lavender than old t-shirts, you are influenced by the small things that live inside and upon us. [If the previous sentence is mysterious, you'll need to read the book!]
I am guessing that Dr. Buckman would be a popular lecturer! I wonder if he is on the speaking circuit."
~ Written on 2006-12-09
"The human body contains about 100 trillion cells, but only 10 trillions of them are human. The rest belong to the entities that call our body home. In Human Wildlife Robert Buckman takes us through a tour of the lives of the worms, bacteria, viruses and other creatures that live on and in us.
I picked up this book after listening to an interview with Dr Buckman. I was fascinated by the details Buckman provided on the origins of pheromones (produced by bacteria in our armpits), mouth breath (bacteria at the back of the tounge), and the cause of fart smell (colon bacteria breaking down proteins). What finally sold me on the book was the discussion on feces, a topic on which I know very little.
Now that I have finished reading the book I can say that I have not been disappointed. Buckman is informative while entertaining at the same time. His story about the fart-in-the-library problem made me laugh out loud :) I wish Buckman went into a little more details on some topics, but that can only be expected from an introductory text geared toward the general public.
Last but not least, the pictures and illustrations in this book are outstanding. I will never look at an eyebrow again without expecting to see a little Demodex, an eyebrow mite that two thirds of us carry, wiggling its tail back at me.
"
~ Written on 2004-10-18
I picked up this book after listening to an interview with Dr Buckman. I was fascinated by the details Buckman provided on the origins of pheromones (produced by bacteria in our armpits), mouth breath (bacteria at the back of the tounge), and the cause of fart smell (colon bacteria breaking down proteins). What finally sold me on the book was the discussion on feces, a topic on which I know very little.
Now that I have finished reading the book I can say that I have not been disappointed. Buckman is informative while entertaining at the same time. His story about the fart-in-the-library problem made me laugh out loud :) I wish Buckman went into a little more details on some topics, but that can only be expected from an introductory text geared toward the general public.
Last but not least, the pictures and illustrations in this book are outstanding. I will never look at an eyebrow again without expecting to see a little Demodex, an eyebrow mite that two thirds of us carry, wiggling its tail back at me.
"
~ Written on 2004-10-18