Roger Webber - Böcker

Diseases have had more influence on us than we realize. They have taken a major role in making us humans and probably determine the way we run our lives. They emerged with us from our ancestral home in Africa, to spread to the rest of the planet. History is full of the great epidemics of plague, smallpox and anthrax, with the present catastrophe of HIV that is changing the demography of the world in a similar way to its predecessors. We survived because of our genetic variation and immune system and it will be this that will save us again. So fundamental has been the part that disease has played in the world that it has brought about change, just as much as has natural selection. Actually disease has been another force, sometimes acting with natural selection but often in opposition. It continues to have a far more profound effect on all of us than realized, selecting the course of the world just as much as nature has.

Completely updated and revised, and now published in its sixth edition, this best-selling text has provided an essential overview of the subject for almost 25 years. A comprehensive yet synoptic account of communicable diseases, it covers theory, epidemiology and control, then systematically groups diseases by their main means of transmission. There are special chapters on infections in pregnancy and the concern of new and emerging diseases, and an annex lists all 353 diseases in an easy reference table. This edition includes updates to all chapters and a new section on melioidosis. It: - Provides information concisely so it can be found at a glance. - Includes numerous clear diagrams, bullet points and tables for rapid review and learning. - Contains a new full-colour internal design and online lecture slides to facilitate teaching. Communicable Diseases continues to provide an essential resource for doctors, medical students and all those in public health, and for healthcare workers needing a comprehensive yet concise practical text.