For a tiny insect
the mosquito has had a major role in shaping human history. Yellow
Fever, Dengue Fever, Malaria, West Nile Virus, and other diseases are
caused by agents injected into the human host by one or another of
the species of mosquitoes in the environment. The early chapters of
the book give a graphic description of the diseases and suffering. It
makes you want to wear protective gear when going outside in the
summer.
For centuries it was
unclear that the mosquito was responsible for the scourge of diseases
that wrecked havoc with armies and empires. The American Revolution
saw Washington’s army as well as the British ransacked by malaria.
The scourge of the Civil War and building the Panama Canal was Yellow
Fever.
One of the
protections against malaria is sickle cell anemia, a mutation of the
blood cells that survived in Africa because it gave protection to the
person. Unfortunately, sickle cell itself is a killer, as the author
points out.
I enjoyed this book.
It’s full of historical information about the interaction between
mosquitoes and humans. The writing is clear and subject matter so
interesting you want to keep reading. I highly recommend this book if
you want to learn more about how the environment can affect
civilization.
I received this book
from Dutton for this review.
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