YOU wouldn鈥檛 think a history of the science of invertebrate diseases could be this fascinating. Yet this seemingly obscure area has been vital to many scientific fields, from germ theory to symbiosis, and for human welfare as well. This book moves briskly from Louis Pasteur鈥檚 entrancement with silkworms to the spread of cholera and the microbial insect parasite Wolbachia, to a wonderfully insightful time line of science. Davidson may not be critical enough of researchers who insist it鈥檚 safe to genetically manipulate various bugs, but her book is filled with 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know that鈥� moments.
Big Fleas Have Little Fleas
University of Arizona Press
