Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Viking (2012), Edition: 1, 288 pages
Description
History. Medical. Science. Nonfiction. HTML: A maddened creature, frothing at the mouth, lunges at an innocent victim�??and with a bite, transforms its prey into another raving monster. It's a scenario that underlies our darkest tales of supernatural horror, but its power derives from a very real virus, a deadly scourge known to mankind from our earliest days. In this fascinating exploration, journalist Bill Wasik and veterinarian Monica Murphy chart four thousand years in the history, science, and cultural mythology of rabies. The most fatal virus known to science, rabies kills nearly 100 percent of its victims once the infection takes root in the brain. A disease that spreads avidly from animals to humans, rabies has served as a symbol of savage madness and inhuman possession throughout history. Today, its history can help shed light on the wave of emerging diseases�??from AIDS to SARS to avian flu�??with origins in animal populations. From Greek myths to zombie flicks, from the laboratory heroics of Louis Pasteur to the contemporary search for a lifesaving treatment, Rabid is a fresh, fascinating, and often wildly entertaining look at one of mankind's oldest and most fearsome f… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member bragan
I don't know if rabies really is "the world's most diabolical virus" or not, but it's got to be a very strong contender. Certainly it's a disease I've always found horrifically fascinating, with its unusual means of making its way through the body, its essentially 100% fatality rate, its effect of
I might have liked a little bit more science in this "cultural history" of rabies, but the chapters that do delve into the medical science of the disease are excellent, especially the one that explores, in detail, Louis Pasteur's development of the rabies vaccine. Other sections are much more focused on the cultural part, and sometimes drift a bit from the focus on rabies into such topics as other diseases that pass to humans from animals, humanity's mixed attitudes towards dogs, and the way that rabies may have inspired (and definitely resonates with) fiction and folklore about humans who become bestial, including werewolves, vampires, and zombies. It's mostly pretty interesting rambling, though, so overall I found it well worth the read.
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modifying animal behavior to help itself spread, and its position high, high up on the list of awful ways to die.I might have liked a little bit more science in this "cultural history" of rabies, but the chapters that do delve into the medical science of the disease are excellent, especially the one that explores, in detail, Louis Pasteur's development of the rabies vaccine. Other sections are much more focused on the cultural part, and sometimes drift a bit from the focus on rabies into such topics as other diseases that pass to humans from animals, humanity's mixed attitudes towards dogs, and the way that rabies may have inspired (and definitely resonates with) fiction and folklore about humans who become bestial, including werewolves, vampires, and zombies. It's mostly pretty interesting rambling, though, so overall I found it well worth the read.
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LibraryThing member Citizenjoyce
Why did I not know that Louis Pasteur and his group were the ones who developed the rabies vaccine? I guess I didn't see the movie. Or maybe I knew and forgot. That's happened a time or two. I learned that because of studying rabies Pasteur's proteges laid the foundation for the study of
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immunology, developing serums against diphtheria, snake bites, TB, bubonic plague, whooping cough, and typhus. Now scientists are utilizing a "hollowed out" rabies virus to deliver medication directly to the brain, crossing the blood-brain barrier. I liked the way the authors showed a full circle regarding this disease that takes the person out of the person before killing them to show how it might be used to treat another disease, Alzheimer's, that does the same thing. Show Less
LibraryThing member lauriebrown54
Rabies has been with- and horrified- people throughout history. The virus can infect any warm blooded creature and is nearly 100% fatal once symptoms show. It travels directly through the nervous system rather than the more usual route of the bloodstream, allowing it easy access to the brain. Once
The authors follow rabies through history, both medical and cultural, positing that rabies may be behind the legends of zombies, werewolves, and vampires. They write about how so many truly horrible diseases are zoonotic- originating in animals and passed to humans: influenzas, plague, ebola, hanta, anthrax. A lot of space is devoted to Louis Pasteur’s development of a rabies vaccine- the only really effective method of stopping the virus. And they write about the status of rabies today.
In America, we tend to think of rabies as pretty much under control. There are cases of it, but they are fairly rare and most often in wild animal populations. In other parts of the, though, that isn’t the case. In India, someone dies from rabies about once every 30 minutes. And events in Bali show how easy it is for rabies to be reintroduced; they had eradicated the virus on the island until someone broke the law forbidding the importation of dogs and brought one in with rabies, which spread rapidly because not only had they stopped vaccinating for it, but there was no decent rabies vaccine available for either pre- or post- exposure use.
Given the horrific subject matter, the book could have easily taken a tabloid tone. The authors steered away from that, though, and have presented an even, thoughtful book, albeit one that will have the reader giving the side eye to the raccoon at the trash can.
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there, it takes over the victim’s actions, creating an aggressive, raving, biting disease vector in the place of the familiar creature or person. The authors follow rabies through history, both medical and cultural, positing that rabies may be behind the legends of zombies, werewolves, and vampires. They write about how so many truly horrible diseases are zoonotic- originating in animals and passed to humans: influenzas, plague, ebola, hanta, anthrax. A lot of space is devoted to Louis Pasteur’s development of a rabies vaccine- the only really effective method of stopping the virus. And they write about the status of rabies today.
In America, we tend to think of rabies as pretty much under control. There are cases of it, but they are fairly rare and most often in wild animal populations. In other parts of the, though, that isn’t the case. In India, someone dies from rabies about once every 30 minutes. And events in Bali show how easy it is for rabies to be reintroduced; they had eradicated the virus on the island until someone broke the law forbidding the importation of dogs and brought one in with rabies, which spread rapidly because not only had they stopped vaccinating for it, but there was no decent rabies vaccine available for either pre- or post- exposure use.
Given the horrific subject matter, the book could have easily taken a tabloid tone. The authors steered away from that, though, and have presented an even, thoughtful book, albeit one that will have the reader giving the side eye to the raccoon at the trash can.
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LibraryThing member norabelle414
This book is a nice complement to The Ghost Map. Rabies is almost the opposite of cholera. It has been known of since at least 2000 B.C.E., no one has ever doubted the fact that it is transmitted between animals and from animal to human, it affects the central nervous system, and it is 100% fatal.
There are lots of fun facts here. I knew a lot less about rabies than I thought I did. The book goes off on many tangents (especially about the history of dogs as pets) but for the most part they are enjoyable. However, the book completely spoils the entire plots of the following books/movies: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Shirley, The Professor, I am Legend (the book and the Will Smith movie version), Their Eyes Were Watching God, Old Yeller, Cujo, and the movie 28 Days Later. The last 5 of these (and maybe Jane Eyre) were very important to the history of rabies. The Brontes, though? Not so much. They were just used as examples of pet dogs in literature, and there was absolutely no reason to ruin the plot.
Recommended, but beware of the spoilers.
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Before the invention of the rabies vaccine by Pasteur in 1885, there was literally nothing that could be done to prevent rabies. After the rabies vaccine, rabies is very close to being extinct in humans and pets. It remains, however, a terrifying disease, simply due to its unique symptoms and their portrayal in media throughout history.There are lots of fun facts here. I knew a lot less about rabies than I thought I did. The book goes off on many tangents (especially about the history of dogs as pets) but for the most part they are enjoyable. However, the book completely spoils the entire plots of the following books/movies: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Shirley, The Professor, I am Legend (the book and the Will Smith movie version), Their Eyes Were Watching God, Old Yeller, Cujo, and the movie 28 Days Later. The last 5 of these (and maybe Jane Eyre) were very important to the history of rabies. The Brontes, though? Not so much. They were just used as examples of pet dogs in literature, and there was absolutely no reason to ruin the plot.
Recommended, but beware of the spoilers.
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LibraryThing member MlleEhreen
It is unfortunate that Rabid's best chapters fall at the end of the book. I loved reading about Louis Pasteur's experiments and the rabies outbreak in Bali. The author, Bill Wasik, finally has real personalities to work with, real scientific challenges to chronicle, real stories to tell. After
And if that sounds like damning by faint praise, well...it's meant to. Rabid is not one of those books whose defined, narrow subject cuts an exciting trail through the vastness of history. It tries to be. It traces the emergence of rabies from ancient Egypt to the present, it grapples with the cultural history of animal domestication, the interplay between cultural prejudice and scientific discovery, the forward march of science and the sheer power of fear.
It would be awesome, except that it isn't. Huge chunks of the book are very academic, dense, factual prose. Which is interesting if the author has some revolutionary argument to make. Some brilliant idea to frame and polish. Wasik is just cataloguing what seems to be every single historical mention of rabies ever. I felt like I was reading an earnest undergraduate paper and I pitied all of my former professors.
The closer that Wasik gets to the present the more interesting his material. He's got chops enough to make the story of rabies in the modern world pretty fascinating - everything from Louis Pasteur to the present is great. All of a sudden he's writing narrative non-fiction of the kind I like most, where there's a story and characters, challenges to overcome, anecdotes to relate.
There's some good stuff in here, but I'd only recommend the book to people who are either (a) deeply, deeply interested in rabies or (b) really guiltless about skimming the boring bits.
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slogging through the first two-thirds of Rabid I perked up and found myself thinking, "Well, most of this book was a chore to read but this...this!...would make a great magazine article." And if that sounds like damning by faint praise, well...it's meant to. Rabid is not one of those books whose defined, narrow subject cuts an exciting trail through the vastness of history. It tries to be. It traces the emergence of rabies from ancient Egypt to the present, it grapples with the cultural history of animal domestication, the interplay between cultural prejudice and scientific discovery, the forward march of science and the sheer power of fear.
It would be awesome, except that it isn't. Huge chunks of the book are very academic, dense, factual prose. Which is interesting if the author has some revolutionary argument to make. Some brilliant idea to frame and polish. Wasik is just cataloguing what seems to be every single historical mention of rabies ever. I felt like I was reading an earnest undergraduate paper and I pitied all of my former professors.
The closer that Wasik gets to the present the more interesting his material. He's got chops enough to make the story of rabies in the modern world pretty fascinating - everything from Louis Pasteur to the present is great. All of a sudden he's writing narrative non-fiction of the kind I like most, where there's a story and characters, challenges to overcome, anecdotes to relate.
There's some good stuff in here, but I'd only recommend the book to people who are either (a) deeply, deeply interested in rabies or (b) really guiltless about skimming the boring bits.
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LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
Rabies is a disease and a meaning so old and so fearsome, it is out of an ancestral nightmare. The body convulses. The mouth froths with rage. The virus is one of a few which attacks the nerves, leading the victim to periods of mania and lethargy, and death is almost certain if prophylaxis is not
This is ostensibly a cultural history, but it is also good public health history and good journalism. The book starts with folklore and science from werewolves to Pasteur, and speculates that the Rage of Hector in the Iliad (Rage �EÂÂE Goddess, sing the rage of Achilles) may be an allusion to rabies.
A more fearsome episode takes place in Bali, which had to undertake a radical vaccination and quarantine program to save its hunting dog population.
Although rabies exists far from those of us in the West, it is still a reality for those in Africa and South Asia. For us, this is a good little scare.
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given before the symptoms worsen to this extent.This is ostensibly a cultural history, but it is also good public health history and good journalism. The book starts with folklore and science from werewolves to Pasteur, and speculates that the Rage of Hector in the Iliad (Rage �EÂÂE Goddess, sing the rage of Achilles) may be an allusion to rabies.
A more fearsome episode takes place in Bali, which had to undertake a radical vaccination and quarantine program to save its hunting dog population.
Although rabies exists far from those of us in the West, it is still a reality for those in Africa and South Asia. For us, this is a good little scare.
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LibraryThing member jen.e.moore
One of the better popular science books I've read lately. They take the "cultural history" part seriously, which I enjoy - but still fail to treat pre-modern medicine with any kind of consistency, which is a pet peeve of mine. The authors are aware that the scientific method didn't exist yet, but
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still judge pre-modern medicine on the basis of it failing to conform to the scientific method. I just. Why. Show Less
LibraryThing member slug9000
I really wanted to like this book, but I have mixed feelings on it. It may not be entirely fair for me to criticize this book when its subtitle specifically calls it a "cultural history of the world's most diabolical virus." Since virtually no advances were made in rabies treatment for the
The sections on Louis Pasteur, the creation of the Milwaukee Protocol, and the efforts to contain rabies in Bali and Manhattan were interesting. And I will say that some very ancient or medieval "remedies" for rabies were entertaining. But this is not a book for someone who is not a scientist but enjoys reading about the history of disease. For a disease as scary as rabies, this was not a gripping read like The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story (which is about ebola), The Demon in the Freezer: A True Story (which is about smallpox), Polio: An American Story (which as the title suggests is about polio), or to a lesser extent The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery (which is about prion diseases). I do, however, recommend this for people who are interested in the genesis of the creatures of horror books and movies.
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thousands of years leading up to Louis Pasteur, there's not a lot of science to report on until the 1800s. But I would say it wasn't until I was about 40-50% of the way done with the book before it actually started discussing the very early stages of the recognition of germ theory. Prior to that point, the book is, essentially, a literature review. The author discusses how rabies, which is an old virus, influenced literature and our relationship with dogs. He discusses fictional werewolves, vampires, and zombies at great length, tenuously linking our obsession with biting, blood-sucking fictional creatures with our fear of rabies. I found this first half of the book tedious and dull.The sections on Louis Pasteur, the creation of the Milwaukee Protocol, and the efforts to contain rabies in Bali and Manhattan were interesting. And I will say that some very ancient or medieval "remedies" for rabies were entertaining. But this is not a book for someone who is not a scientist but enjoys reading about the history of disease. For a disease as scary as rabies, this was not a gripping read like The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story (which is about ebola), The Demon in the Freezer: A True Story (which is about smallpox), Polio: An American Story (which as the title suggests is about polio), or to a lesser extent The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery (which is about prion diseases). I do, however, recommend this for people who are interested in the genesis of the creatures of horror books and movies.
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LibraryThing member EinfachMich
I picked this up while I was browsing books at the library. The minute I opened it I was sucked in and ended up spending most of the afternoon at the library reading this book.
Even if you're not really into viral pathology I will still say to give this book a try. It reads more like a mixture of
I read this for research, but I plan to buy it because it is one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read.
Even if you're not really into viral pathology I will still say to give this book a try. It reads more like a mixture of
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horror story, history and anthropology lesson. The authors give an astonding amount of insight to how this virus (and other sickness like it) can be traced through out human history, and how it helped shape us in many ways we never realized.I read this for research, but I plan to buy it because it is one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read.
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LibraryThing member dickmanikowski
Interesting review of the role that a deadly disease has played in human history. The authors trace awareness of rabies from diagnoses and ineffective treatments of the Greek and Roman fathers of medicine through the groundbreaking work done by Louis Pasteur. Pasteur's vaccine treatment,
Wasik and Murphy place rabies in the context of various zoonotic diseases. They also tie rabies into the werewolf and vampire myths that permeate so many cultures.
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unfortunately, was only effective if received prior to infection or at least prior to the onset of the symptoms that could arise weeks or even months after the infection occurred. They go on to discuss innovative treatments that have occasionally worked when administered after the symptoms appear.Wasik and Murphy place rabies in the context of various zoonotic diseases. They also tie rabies into the werewolf and vampire myths that permeate so many cultures.
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LibraryThing member Sean191
I didn't really know much about Pasteur's process in developing a vaccine for rabies so I found it fascinating. Other parts in the book were very interesting to read as well, but I think that the authors ultimately didn't have enough material for a full book so they delved into some weak areas
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(vampires and werewolves for example) to try to flesh-out the page count. I think that was a disservice to the other info they presented which was really worth the read. Show Less
LibraryThing member jimocracy
This book gave so much more than I would have expected.The author uses the rabies disease as a vehicle to explore the history of neurological disorders and their treatments. To follow the history from superstitious nonsense, to the birth of evidence-based medicine (thank you very much, Louis
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Pasteur), and on to modern innovations of virus-delivered pharmaceuticals is truly amazing. Show Less
LibraryThing member Traciinaz
Overall, a good book. The parts about vampires and werewolves felt like fluff, but the parts about Louis Pastor and how he discovered the vaccine were fascinating.
LibraryThing member drbubbles
I wanted—want—to like this book, I really did/do.
But in the first place, the style is painfully overblown. If the book were a Shakespeare performance, the lines would be declaimed melodramatically rather than just spoken. It's grating and makes it harder to bear reading what's been written.
The
But in the first place, the style is painfully overblown. If the book were a Shakespeare performance, the lines would be declaimed melodramatically rather than just spoken. It's grating and makes it harder to bear reading what's been written.
The
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first chapter is supposedly about the ancient cultural history of rabies. There are exactly two genuine examples of rabies having cultural significance in some part of the ancient world. The rest of the chapter is spent on what ancient writers had to say about rabies treatment and about dogs. Some of the connections the book tries to make seem weaselly (e.g., trying to impute a connection to rabies that isn't clearly present in an ancient passage). The fact is that there just isn't enough to say about the cultural meaning of rabies in the ancient world to justify the chapter. And while it's true that dogs had much more ancient cultural significance than rabies, little of it had anything to do with rabies so most of the stuff about dogs is just there as padding. (If the ancients' takes on dogs are your thing, great; but I want to know about rabies.) Also I suspect there's a lot more about dogs in ancient writings than this book covers, so I don't trust it even to have represented that topic very well. Show Less
LibraryThing member greeniezona
Karen took me to the bookstore to pick out a book (or two, or three) for my birthday, and this one jumped out at me for obvious reasons. (I'd had to get the full round of rabies shots after being bitten by a bat at work a few years ago.) I immediately jumped into it, then found out it was a
But I wanted to love this book far more than I actually did. Maybe my expectations were too high, maybe it tried to do too many things in too small a book, maybe it rode the line too hard between academic and pop non-fiction, and I might have preferred it if it had fallen solidly on one side or the other, I don't know. But as the book moved forward and got closer to talking about rabies in modern times, I liked it more and more. The section on the invention of the rabies vaccine was great, as was a bit on an outbreak in NYC.
But it wasn't ever that I disliked the book, there was so much fascinating material here that I wouldn't ever say that. It was only that certain parts (especially the rabies and mythical monsters section) left me wanting more.
Good read. Needs more werewolves.
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favorite book of Mrs. Wolf! (Jefferson's 3rd grade "Western" teacher -- rapidly becoming one of my favorite people.) But I wanted to love this book far more than I actually did. Maybe my expectations were too high, maybe it tried to do too many things in too small a book, maybe it rode the line too hard between academic and pop non-fiction, and I might have preferred it if it had fallen solidly on one side or the other, I don't know. But as the book moved forward and got closer to talking about rabies in modern times, I liked it more and more. The section on the invention of the rabies vaccine was great, as was a bit on an outbreak in NYC.
But it wasn't ever that I disliked the book, there was so much fascinating material here that I wouldn't ever say that. It was only that certain parts (especially the rabies and mythical monsters section) left me wanting more.
Good read. Needs more werewolves.
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LibraryThing member LisCarey
This is a cultural history of rabies. Bill Wasik is a journalist, and Monica Murphy a veterinarian, and they've put together an amazing, and amazingly readable, account of the history, mythology, and science of rabies, the only disease we know that has a nearly 100% fatality rate.
Rabies kills, and
This is perhaps why rabies seems so tied to our myths of vampires and zombies.
The authors present to us the history not only of the cultural effects of rabies, but of the efforts to understand and control it.
For me personally, the most fascinating section is the one about Louis Pasteur. One of the founders of medical microbiology, Pasteur didn't just give us the pasteurization that makes our milk products safe. He also took the principle of vaccination that Edward Jenner had discovered when he created the smallpox vaccine in the 1790s, and expanded and developed it to create new vaccines--most notably for anthrax and for rabies. Pasteur is just an extremely interesting figure, and amazing in his dedication to, and success at, applying science to save lives.
The most appalling section, in some respects, is the return of rabies to Bali, to a great extent because authorities were so resistant to following sound advice from experts and instead committed themselves to approaches that only looked cheaper and easier in the short run. It's a valuable example of how to do things wrong.
Overall, an absorbing and revelatory book Highly recommended.
I borrowed this audiobook from my local library.
Rabies kills, and
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while it's doing that, it drives is victims mad, with interludes of lucidity when they know what's happening to them. It also, though most of history, mostly reached us through the most familiar of our domestic animals, our dogs. This is perhaps why rabies seems so tied to our myths of vampires and zombies.
The authors present to us the history not only of the cultural effects of rabies, but of the efforts to understand and control it.
For me personally, the most fascinating section is the one about Louis Pasteur. One of the founders of medical microbiology, Pasteur didn't just give us the pasteurization that makes our milk products safe. He also took the principle of vaccination that Edward Jenner had discovered when he created the smallpox vaccine in the 1790s, and expanded and developed it to create new vaccines--most notably for anthrax and for rabies. Pasteur is just an extremely interesting figure, and amazing in his dedication to, and success at, applying science to save lives.
The most appalling section, in some respects, is the return of rabies to Bali, to a great extent because authorities were so resistant to following sound advice from experts and instead committed themselves to approaches that only looked cheaper and easier in the short run. It's a valuable example of how to do things wrong.
Overall, an absorbing and revelatory book Highly recommended.
I borrowed this audiobook from my local library.
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LibraryThing member LyndaInOregon
This study of rabies, its involvement with and impact on human beings, is interesting and informative when it sticks to the subject. High point for me was the section describing Louis Pasteur's ultimately successful search for a preventative vaccine and the development of an effective treatment for
It loses points, however, when it loses its focus and wanders off into metaphysical/folklorical accounts of lycanthropy, vampirism, and the currently-popular literary zombie. There may in fact be deep archetypal human fears tying the very real threat of rabies to the fanciful tales of human-animal chimeras or undead bogeymen, but it feels here like an unnecessary, even self-indulgent digression from the main topic.
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humans exposed to the virus.It loses points, however, when it loses its focus and wanders off into metaphysical/folklorical accounts of lycanthropy, vampirism, and the currently-popular literary zombie. There may in fact be deep archetypal human fears tying the very real threat of rabies to the fanciful tales of human-animal chimeras or undead bogeymen, but it feels here like an unnecessary, even self-indulgent digression from the main topic.
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LibraryThing member MontzaleeW
Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy is a wonderful and insightful look into the history of this deadly virus. This book covers the myths, old remedies, different animals effected, several famous cases, the search for a vaccine, and so much
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more. It also describes the symptoms of the virus, the length of time for symptoms to appear and what may change this, etc. Very detailed without being boring. Great book.I got the audio version from the library. Show Less
LibraryThing member Poopy
A surprisingly enthralling book on the history of rabies and the search for its cure. A lot of science, but not too much unfamiliar verbiage, etc. Just a fascinating story about an unlikely subject.
LibraryThing member ssperson
Interesting look at the history of rabies that touches on other diseases that come from animals. Rabies may be the origin of werewolf and vampire stories. Kind of dry in parts, but I think that's not uncommon in such a book.
I listened to the audiobook, and the audio quality in the last couple of
I listened to the audiobook, and the audio quality in the last couple of
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parts was a bit dodgy. The sound quality would fluctuate, making it obvious where cuts and edits were done. At least, that's what I'm assuming the difference was. Show Less
LibraryThing member JessicaReadsThings
Well, it's a book about rabies from a cultural perspective.
LibraryThing member JorgeousJotts
Pretty much covers it from every angle! I found it fascinating and breezed through the audiobook.
LibraryThing member kwskultety
When a human male contracts rabies, and he's in the final stages, he will experience multiple ejaculations, up to 30 times a day, due to the virus invading his nerve cells. Enough said.
LibraryThing member whitreidtan
Rabies is the deadliest disease known to humankind and is still almost 100% fatal. It has been terrifying people for as long as we have recorded history. In Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus, Wasik and Murphy look at the history of rabies, the relationship between man
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and dog, the myths of werewolves and vampires, which might originate with rabies, the search for a vaccine, current treatment options, and hope for defanging rabies in the future throughout this thoroughly researched book. This can be slow and dry and there are quite a few extended digressions from the disease at hand. It was interesting enough to learn the method by which rabies sidesteps the human immune system and the ways in which it continues to spread around the world through unvaccinated dogs and in the US via bats. In an effort to make it accessible to a general audience, the authors didn't overwhelm the reader with a lot of technical science but that left them with less than a books' worth of information definitively about rabies. What is presented, and much of it is at best merely speculated to be connected to rabies, often incredibly tenuously, is almost entirely within the cultural sphere. That's unfortunate because the cultural history was not nearly as interesting as I'd hoped, even adding in information about zombies, wild (and ineffective) old time remedies, and ways in which rabies is depicted in books and movies among other things. You really have to be invested in rabies to find this an interesting read. Show Less
Awards
PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award (Shortlist — 2013)
San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (Nonfiction — 2012)
Original language
English
Original publication date
2012
Physical description
275 p.; 8.62 inches
ISBN
0670023736 / 9780670023738
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