|a 149 pages : |b illustrations, map |c 24 cm Numerous illustrations and photographs are included, and notes, a bibliography, and an index are appended.|a Invincible microbe : |b tuberculosis and the never-ending search for a cure / |c Jim Murphy and Alison Blank.

7/98) or Martha Brooks's novel Queen of Hearts (rev. Despite such disparate elements, the information comes together cohesively for an engaging read, and those further interested in the topic of communicable diseases may want to seek out Jeanette Farrell's nonfiction Invisible Enemies (rev. This book brings young readers up to speed with three distinct focuses: a scientific explanation of the microbe (what it is, what it does, and how it evolves) a medical history of the disease (how doctors treated the disease and searched for a cure) and a social history (how society viewed and acted toward those who suffered from the disease). 'This is the story of a small, harmless-looking germ that has been infecting people for millions of years.' Tuberculosis has been a medical scourge through much of human history, and although it is currently rare here in the United States (although that is not true for the rest of the world), new drug-resistant strains of the disease keep the threat of a new pandemic on the horizon. The selected bibliography and source notes serve also as excellent examples of useful citations.-Denise Schmidt, San Francisco Public Library The book is liberally illustrated with photos, drawings, and prints that vividly complement the text.

Helpful, too, are the pronunciation tips that are included when the authors discuss the complicated names of the bacteria and illnesses. Students researching diseases or medical breakthroughs will find this book both informative and interesting. The authors also describe how close modern medicine has come to eradicating it. 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.

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.

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.

Invincible Microbe by Jim Murphy