Research Catalog

What's eating you? : people and parasites

Title
What's eating you? : people and parasites / Eugene H. Kaplan ; illustrated by Susan L. Kaplan and Sandy Chichester Rivkin.
Author
Kaplan, Eugene H. (Eugene Herbert), 1932-
Publication
Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, ©2010.

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextUse in library JFE 15-7495Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

Details

Description
xvii, 302 pages : illustrations; 24 cm
Summary
In What's Eating You? Eugene Kaplan recounts the true and harrowing tales of his adventures with parasites, and in the process introduces readers to the intimately interwoven lives of host and parasite. Kaplan has spent his life traveling the globe exploring oceans and jungles, and incidentally acquiring parasites in his gut. Here, he leads readers on an unforgettable journey into the bizarre yet oddly beautiful world of parasites. In a narrative that is by turns frightening, disgusting, and laugh-out-loud funny, Kaplan describes how drinking contaminated water can cause a three-foot-long worm to burst from your arm; how he "gave birth" to a parasite the size and thickness of a pencil while working in Israel; why you should never wave a dead snake in front of your privates; and why fleas are attracted to his wife. Kaplan tells stories about leeches feasting on soldiers in Vietnam; sea cucumbers with teeth in their anuses that seem to encourage the entry of symbiotic fish; the habits of parasites that cause dysentery, river blindness, and other horrifying diseases--and much, much more. Along the way, he explains the underlying science, including parasite evolution and host-parasite physiology. Informative, frequently lurid, and hugely entertaining, this beautifully illustrated book is a must-read for health-conscious travelers, and anyone who has ever wondered if they picked up a tapeworm from that last sushi dinner.
Subjects
Genre/Form
Popular works.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 293-295) and index.
Contents
On the sacredness of life -- Introduction. The saline solution--an inner sea -- Land of smiles -- An encounter with Jordan Rose -- I had a farm in Africa -- Death of a mouse -- Intimate relationships -- A peek into the anus of--my child -- The well-hung dog -- Fiery serpent -- It hardly ever happens -- The anti-semitic tapeworm -- Mother always wanted me to be a real doctor -- Missus Murphy's baby -- The day I flunked the macho test -- The biblical plagues -- Alley cats and seagulls -- A better mousetrap -- Scandals and ghosts -- Spiny-headed monsters -- Bloodsucking beasts -- Ode to a cockroach -- Bats, bugs, and bloody bites -- Little fleas have littler fleas -- How to get rid of crabs -- Wild virgins -- Inexplicable behavior: some relationships are more intimate than others -- Topsy-turvy worlds -- A day in the Caribbean -- Tit, tit, tittie--cuckoo -- The game of life: name that category -- Paean of praise -- Tips for travelers.
Call Number
JFE 15-7495
ISBN
  • 9780691141404 (hbk. : alk. paper)
  • 0691141401 (hbk. : alk. paper)
LCCN
2009021742
OCLC
366469150
Author
Kaplan, Eugene H. (Eugene Herbert), 1932-
Title
What's eating you? : people and parasites / Eugene H. Kaplan ; illustrated by Susan L. Kaplan and Sandy Chichester Rivkin.
Imprint
Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, ©2010.
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 293-295) and index.
Research Call Number
JFE 15-7495
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