This chapter discusses diseases transmissible between man and animals (dogs, cats, cattle, pigs), including rabies, echinococcosis, toxocariasis, toxoplasmosis, tapeworms, anthrax and brucellosis. Measures to reduce risk of contracting these diseases are suggested.

This chapter describes the incidence of cancer (e.g., breast cancer, prostate cancer, bowel cancer), the viral (hepatitis B virus in liver cancer, human papillomavirus in cervical cancer, and Epstein-Barr virus in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, nasopharyngeal cancer and Burkitt's lymphoma) and parasitic (...

In this concluding chapter, the role of bacteria and viruses in developing the human species into what it is, immunity and its enhancement against infections, and the role of disease in shaping history are discussed. Some beneficial microorganisms, the discovery and use of antibiotics against...

This book contains 20 chapters covering a range of infectious diseases, as well as a few non-infectious diseases such as cancer, and how they greatly affected the course of human history. It explores host-pathogen relationship, transmission routes, evolution, and global spread of infectious...

This chapter reviews current understanding of the origin of life, starting with the evolution of Archaea and bacteria, viruses and then eukaryotic organisms including animals and humans. It also provides a historical account of the early understanding of the natural history of human infectious...

This chapter reviews the types and outcome of immune response generated by the human body toward parasites/pathogens, such as Trichinella spiralis, Plasmodium falciparum, Helicobacter pylori and other bacteria, and human endogenous retroviruses. It also discusses the principle behind the protective ...

This chapter describes the role of missionaries in spreading influenza in Samoa, measles in Fiji, and leprosy and diabetes in Nauru, and the death of missionaries after contracting malaria in Africa. The value of immunity is briefly discussed.

This chapter traces the history of the global spread of some of the most common human parasites through the international slave trade. A description of the life cycle of these parasites is also presented, which include hookworms (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus), Schistosoma spp., ...

This chapter reviews the history of human colonization of the abundant land of South America, and the subsequent introduction of Old World diseases, such as malaria and yellow fever, in the region, particularly through international slave trade. A brief description of the transmission route and...

This chapter presents the history of the occurrence and disappearance of malaria (and its vector) in Europe and English Sweat epidemics in England. Eradication programmes (e.g., vaccination, drug therapy, clean water) against smallpox, measles, poliomyelitis, dracunculiasis, yaws, lymphatic...