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BOOK REVIEW Riddled with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites That Make Us Who We Are by Marlene Zuk Harcourt - April 2007
Reviewed by Dr. Jonathan Dolhenty If you are an extremely squeamish person, this may not be the book for you. On the other hand, if you share as I do, an intense curiosity about the natural world and all its inhabitants regardless of their status and contributions to the natural order, then I think you'll find Riddled with Life to be an exciting journey into an almost-ignored and little-known world of fascinating creatures. Marlene Zuk, a professor of biology at the University of California (Riverside), studies parasites -- among other living things -- and not only knows about all these critters but can write about them in a style that is very readable and enjoyable. I have become impressed lately by the many talented academic scientists who have the ability to write for the ordinary reader. Zuk is certainly to be included among them. Her book deals with parasites, worms, and other creatures, and also with disease and health. Interestingly, she has a positive point to make about disease. For instance, she points out that "Disease is not merely ubiquitous. It is normal. It is natural. It is even essential. Illness has shaped all living things for millions of years, and life as we know it -- we, as we know ourselves -- would not exist without disease." I had never thought about that, but the point she makes is explained and justified throughout the book. She makes another important point which I found interesting: "Although most historians are probably blissfully unaware of it, one of the marked changes in our lives since the nineteenth century is in the number and kind of microorganisms we carry in our guts. We harbor hundreds of species of bacteria in our gastrointestinal systems when we are healthy, an internal forest of biodiversity." Most of us normally think of bacteria as "bad," probably the result of so much "antibacterial" advertising by manufacturers of such products. Zuk corrects this misconception and rightly so. Speaking of bacteria and advertising, she does raise something early on in her book that I have spent some time thinking about for a number of years. And that is the "war on bacteria" promoted by the hundreds of advertised products on our TV screens and in our printed media. It has often seemed to me to be a case of "overkill." I am a more or less clean housekeeper -- wipe down the counters, clean the bathrooms regularly, etc. -- but, from the content of some of the advertisements one sees, you'd think we are in imminent danger of being destroyed by bacteria (or germs, if prefer). As I am approaching (all too rapidly, I must say) my biblically-designated threescore and ten years, I reflect on the fact that I was raised during a time when concern with "germs" was not a national obsession. That is not to say that my generation was not concerned with being clean. I think we were. But we were not obsessed with it. Zuk warns regarding this point that in today's world, "The frightening consequences of our overzealous cleansing include resistance of common bacterial infections, like staphylococcus in hospitals, to most or all of the antibiotics we use to control them." In other words, there is a danger in being too obsessed with cleanliness. To drive this point home, Zuk has a section in her chapter on "friendly worms" which is titled "Cleanliness is Next to ... Sickliness?" Excellent choice of words. Moreover, consider this gem from Zuk's book: "My own personal favorite of the germ-phobic ads is one for a line of antimicrobial products for the office, including computer keyboards and desks. The promotional material states, 'Researchers found that the average desk had 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat.' I had several reactions to this. First, my inner statistician wondered how one determines the 'average' desk, not to mention toilet seat (public restrooms? House with Toddlers? Fraternity?)." And as I have always suspected: "Even carefully controlled tests of many antibacterial products fail to find a benefit to their use." As a student formally trained in statistical analysis, I agree. So much for that obsession. Many readers will probably really enjoy, as I certainly did, Chapter Four of "Riddled with Life." Its title is "The Race With Sex That's Never Won." On the other hand, many readers may be repulsed by Chapter Five which is titled "When Sex Makes You Sick." Not a good thing to read about, but Zuk does make it interesting and informative. But (here's more sex!), reading Chapter Six -- entitled "The Sicker Sex" -- was somewhat disturbing, at least for me, because I found out that I was a member (as a male) of the sicker sex. What? Yes, 'tis true, being male, according to Zuk, is a health risk. You'll have to read the book to find out all the details, but it seems to have something to do with something we males are usually proud of or bragging about. Another chapter that most readers will find interesting is one entitled "Parasites and Picking the Perfect Partner." Just to demonstrate how good Zuk is at tempting the reader to continue reading, let me provide you with the opening sentences to this chapter: "We were crouched in the shrubbery outside the men's bathroom in a park in Western Australia, binoculars at the ready. Periodically one of us would exclaim, 'Wow, that was a really good one,' or 'Look at him now, he's really going at it!'" Now if that doesn't force the reader to continue on with the text, I don't know what would. Very clever writing! Yet, the information provided in this chapter is fascinating and I'll never look at dating the opposite gender -- or at the subject of the birds and the bees -- quite the same again. All in all, this is a delightful and enlightening book. I cannot imagine a reader (except, of course, the obvious "Yuckies") failing to find Riddled with Life a valuable addition to his or her personal library. It is full of engrossing information and Zuk has provided over twenty pages of references for further reading, as well as a helpful index to the text. Highly recommended! 
Read an Excerpt from this Book Order at Amazon.com Order at Powell's Books |
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Enrich your life with a book about politics and current events... Enrich your political & social life with a politics or news magazine... |
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