Maxime Schwartz, a molecular biologist, is Professor at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, which he headed from 1988 to 1999. He is also Director of Research at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and is currently serving as Director of Laboratories of the French agency for food safety (AFSSA). He is the author of many scientific papers and Pasteur, des microbes au vaccin (1999, with Annick Perrot).

"The drama of Schwartz's book...is in the slow coming together of several historical strands of scientific research, given the momentum of a detective story by his personification of the book's malign protagonist: a rogue protein given to feints and counterattacks." - Irish Times; "[Schwartz] succeeds in formulating a history of research on TSEs that captivates the reader - science and storytelling at their best." - British Medical Journal (BMJ); "Maxime Schwartz develops the history of TSE as a mystery novel.... Schwartz poses questions, suggests possible answers, and then describes the scientific advances that produced the answers. The book...should appeal to a wide range of readers." - Nature; "Schwartz's fully engrossing, two-century-plus detective story provides a thoroughgoing history of the discovery of 'mad cow' and related diseases that also illuminates the ways in which science works. I could not put this book down." - Jon Beckwith, author of Making Genes, Making Waves; "Rarely have I read a book as scary, interesting, informative and enjoyable." - John E. Talbott, University of California, Santa Barbara"

• Prologue 1: The Sheep Are Strangely Dizzy 2: Molecules and Microbes 3: Mad Dogs and Earthworms 4: Scrapie under the Microscope 5: Creutzfeldt, Jakob, and Others 6: Scrapie Is Inoculable 7: And Goats, and Mice 8: Scrapie Is Contagious 9: Kuru and the Fore People of Papua New Guinea 10: The Wall Comes Down 11: From Pearl Necklace to Double Helix 12: The Phantom Virus 13: A Tragedy in the Making 14: One Case per Million 15: Prions 16: April 1985 17: The "Kiss of Death" 18: The Return of the Spontaneists 19: To Grow--and to Die 20: Lessons Learned 21: Have the Cows Gone Mad? 22: From Cows to Humans 23: From Cows to Sheep? From Humans to Humans? 24: The Secret in the Closet 25: Unmasking "The Disease" 26: Have We Conquered "The Disease"? 27: 2001 Epilogue Notes Bibliography Chronology Acknowledgments Index

Maxime Schwartz, a molecular biologist, is Professor at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, which he headed from 1988 to 1999. He is also Director of Research at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and is currently serving as Director of Laboratories of the French agency for food safety (AFSSA). He is the author of many scientific papers and Pasteur, des microbes au vaccin (1999, with Annick Perrot).

"The drama of Schwartz's book...is in the slow coming together of several historical strands of scientific research, given the momentum of a detective story by his personification of the book's malign protagonist: a rogue protein given to feints and counterattacks." - Irish Times; "[Schwartz] succeeds in formulating a history of research on TSEs that captivates the reader - science and storytelling at their best." - British Medical Journal (BMJ); "Maxime Schwartz develops the history of TSE as a mystery novel.... Schwartz poses questions, suggests possible answers, and then describes the scientific advances that produced the answers. The book...should appeal to a wide range of readers." - Nature; "Schwartz's fully engrossing, two-century-plus detective story provides a thoroughgoing history of the discovery of 'mad cow' and related diseases that also illuminates the ways in which science works. I could not put this book down." - Jon Beckwith, author of Making Genes, Making Waves; "Rarely have I read a book as scary, interesting, informative and enjoyable." - John E. Talbott, University of California, Santa Barbara"

• Prologue 1: The Sheep Are Strangely Dizzy 2: Molecules and Microbes 3: Mad Dogs and Earthworms 4: Scrapie under the Microscope 5: Creutzfeldt, Jakob, and Others 6: Scrapie Is Inoculable 7: And Goats, and Mice 8: Scrapie Is Contagious 9: Kuru and the Fore People of Papua New Guinea 10: The Wall Comes Down 11: From Pearl Necklace to Double Helix 12: The Phantom Virus 13: A Tragedy in the Making 14: One Case per Million 15: Prions 16: April 1985 17: The "Kiss of Death" 18: The Return of the Spontaneists 19: To Grow--and to Die 20: Lessons Learned 21: Have the Cows Gone Mad? 22: From Cows to Humans 23: From Cows to Sheep? From Humans to Humans? 24: The Secret in the Closet 25: Unmasking "The Disease" 26: Have We Conquered "The Disease"? 27: 2001 Epilogue Notes Bibliography Chronology Acknowledgments Index

Maxime Schwartz, a molecular biologist, is Professor at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, which he headed from 1988 to 1999. He is also Director of Research at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and is currently serving as Director of Laboratories of the French agency for food safety (AFSSA). He is the author of many scientific papers and Pasteur, des microbes au vaccin (1999, with Annick Perrot).

"The drama of Schwartz's book...is in the slow coming together of several historical strands of scientific research, given the momentum of a detective story by his personification of the book's malign protagonist: a rogue protein given to feints and counterattacks." - Irish Times; "[Schwartz] succeeds in formulating a history of research on TSEs that captivates the reader - science and storytelling at their best." - British Medical Journal (BMJ); "Maxime Schwartz develops the history of TSE as a mystery novel.... Schwartz poses questions, suggests possible answers, and then describes the scientific advances that produced the answers. The book...should appeal to a wide range of readers." - Nature; "Schwartz's fully engrossing, two-century-plus detective story provides a thoroughgoing history of the discovery of 'mad cow' and related diseases that also illuminates the ways in which science works. I could not put this book down." - Jon Beckwith, author of Making Genes, Making Waves; "Rarely have I read a book as scary, interesting, informative and enjoyable." - John E. Talbott, University of California, Santa Barbara"

• Prologue 1: The Sheep Are Strangely Dizzy 2: Molecules and Microbes 3: Mad Dogs and Earthworms 4: Scrapie under the Microscope 5: Creutzfeldt, Jakob, and Others 6: Scrapie Is Inoculable 7: And Goats, and Mice 8: Scrapie Is Contagious 9: Kuru and the Fore People of Papua New Guinea 10: The Wall Comes Down 11: From Pearl Necklace to Double Helix 12: The Phantom Virus 13: A Tragedy in the Making 14: One Case per Million 15: Prions 16: April 1985 17: The "Kiss of Death" 18: The Return of the Spontaneists 19: To Grow--and to Die 20: Lessons Learned 21: Have the Cows Gone Mad? 22: From Cows to Humans 23: From Cows to Sheep? From Humans to Humans? 24: The Secret in the Closet 25: Unmasking "The Disease" 26: Have We Conquered "The Disease"? 27: 2001 Epilogue Notes Bibliography Chronology Acknowledgments Index