Review by Choice Review
By his own admission, author-physician Daniel (emer., Case Western Reserve Univ.) is not a medical historian, and thus his newest book is based almost entirely on secondary sources. He is, however, a great synthesizer of knowledge: someone who can ingest a huge quantity of data and organize it into a new form--and to do all of this with a command of the English language and the craft of writing that many an author of fiction might envy. Building on his important earlier monograph Captain of Death: The Story of Tuberculosis (CH, Jun'98), Daniel now traces the baleful history of tuberculosis through the lives of six medical pioneers. They all knew or were victims of the disease, and all worked to understand, alleviate, or control it. Most are not primarily known for their work on tuberculosis. They are pioneer clinicians, researchers, and public health professionals: Theophile Laennec, Robert Koch, Michael Biggs, Clemens Freiherr von Pirquet, Wade Hampton Frost, and Selman Waksman. Even though it is often technical, in Daniel's talented hands the text is easy and even, and occasionally pleasurable to read. The useful glossary and excellent documentation and index make the book accessible to a wide audience. General readers; upper-division undergraduates through professionals. I. Richman Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
