Invincible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a Cure

by Jim Murphy, Alison Blank

Overview

This is the story of a killer that has been striking people down for thousands of years:
tuberculosis. After centuries of ineffective treatments, the microorganism that causes
TB was identified, and the cure was thought to be within reach—but drug-resistant
varieties continue to plague and panic the human race. The “biography” of this deadly
germ, an account of the diagnosis, treatment, and “cure” of the disease over time,
and the social history of an illness that could strike anywhere but was most prevalent
among the poor are woven together in an engrossing, carefully researched narrative.
Bibliography, source notes, index.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780618535743
Publisher:	HMH Books
Publication date:	07/10/2012
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	1200L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jim Murphy's compelling nonfiction books for young readers have received a long list of awards, including two Newbery Honors and a Sibert Medal. This is his first collaboration with his wife, Alison Blank, a children's media creator. They have two sons and live in Maplewood, New Jersey. Visit Jim Murphy at www.jimmurphybooks.com.

Table of Contents

This Is the Story 1

1 In the Beginning 3

2 The King's Evil 14

3 "There Is a Dread Disease" 23

4 Into the Mountains 31

5 "To Comfort Always" 40

6 The Cause 51

7 The Outsiders 65

8 The Cure 82

9 "Like a Fairy-Tale" 97

10 Supergerms 104

11 Hot Spots 112

Acknowledgments 123

Bibliography 125

Source Notes 129

Picture Credits 143

Index 145

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Lively text complemented by excellent, well-placed reproductions of photographs, drawings, flyers, woodcuts, posters and ads . . . . Who knew the biography of a germ could be so fascinating?" —Kirkus Review, starred review "This is a solid and timely addition to nonfiction resources on sickness and human history."—VOYA, 4Q 3P J S "An engaging read."—Horn Book "The writing is crisp and clinical . . . Students researching diseases or medical breakthroughs will find this book both informative and interesting."—School Library Journal, starred review "Wide ranging in breadth, yet always well focused on the topic at hand, this fascinating book offers a sharply detailed picture of tuberculosis throughout history."—Booklist, starred review

Editorial Reviews

The earliest known evidence of the tuberculosis virus can be found in fossils over 500,000 years old, and while the disease no longer ravages the human population (since the advent of antibiotics), it still presents a deadly threat. Murphy is on familiar ground, his Newbery Honor winning An American Plague (2003) having brought to life the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793. Here he describes the impact of “the greatest killer of humans in the history of the world”—the literary figures who fell victim to it (John Keats, the Brontë sisters), the sometimes barbaric methods used to fight it, and its resurgence as a superbug. Chilling statistics (such as “a recent study estimated that nearly 90 percent of [people released from Russian prisons] have dormant tuberculosis”) demonstrate that that this killer is far from tamed. An engrossing volume of topical medical history.

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Library Journal

Murphy and Blank chronicle the story of the tuberculosis microorganism, the greatest serial killer of all time. Tuberculosis has been infecting people for millions of years and has killed over a trillion humans. This fascinating tale unfolds as a biography of a germ, an account of the treatment and search for cures, and a social history of the disease. As Murphy treated yellow fever in An American Plague (2003), this volume offers a lively text complemented by excellent, well-placed reproductions of photographs, drawings, flyers, woodcuts, posters and ads. The images include an Edvard Munch painting depicting the death of his 16-year-old sister of tuberculosis, a flyer for a Paul Laurence Dunbar poetry reading with a discussion of how minorities were denied proper medical care, a drawing showing death coming for Irish-born author Laurence Sterne and a photograph of Anne, Emily and Charlotte Brontë, all of whom died of tuberculosis. The broad focus of the slim volume allows it to be about many things: medical discovery, technology, art and how people from all walks of life have dealt with a deadly disease that pays no attention to social distinctions. The bibliography is thorough, and even the source notes are illuminating. Who knew the biography of a germ could be so fascinating? (acknowledgments, picture credits, index [not seen]) (Nonfiction. 9-14)

Kirkus Reviews

"Lively text complemented by excellent, well-placed reproductions of photographs, drawings, flyers, woodcuts, posters and ads . . . . Who knew the biography of a germ could be so fascinating?" —Kirkus Review, starred review"This is a solid and timely addition to nonfiction resources on sickness and human history."—VOYA, 4Q 3P J S"An engaging read."—Horn Book"The writing is crisp and clinical . . . Students researching diseases or medical breakthroughs will find this book both informative and interesting."—School Library Journal, starred review"Wide ranging in breadth, yet always well focused on the topic at hand, this fascinating book offers a sharply detailed picture of tuberculosis throughout history."—Booklist, starred review

From the Publisher

Gr 5–9—Starting with the dramatic cover photo of a row of girls lying in their hospital beds, Murphy and Blank unwind the tangled history of tuberculosis, a disease that continues to kill millions every year. The writing is crisp and clinical. Readers will be surprised to learn that kings believed that a single touch of their hand would cure the peasants and that one of the more radical treatments for TB included removing multiple ribs from a patient's chest. At times gruesome and somewhat somnolent when describing the peaceful sanatoriums, the book clearly details all the many unsuccessful attempts to cure this infectious disease. The authors also describe how close modern medicine has come to eradicating it. Students researching diseases or medical breakthroughs will find this book both informative and interesting. Helpful, too, are the pronunciation tips that are included when the authors discuss the complicated names of the bacteria and illnesses. The book is liberally illustrated with photos, drawings, and prints that vividly complement the text. The selected bibliography and source notes serve also as excellent examples of useful citations.—Denise Schmidt, San Francisco Public Library

School Library Journal

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