1. The origin of disease
Extraterrestrial origins
Spontaneous generation
Evolution of life
2. Germs and disease : a brief history
Witchcraft, retribution, and the humor of it all
Seeing the invisible
A milkmaid's tale
Chance favors the prepared mind
A sheepish situation
Mad dogs and Frenchmen
Doctors of death
That nasty little German
3. Magic bullets
The first chemotherapy
The first antibiotic
The first wonder drug
The miracle mold
A miracle from the soil
Back to the future
4. The white death
Captain of the men of death
Winning the battle
Losing the war
5. New kids on the block
Lyme disease : getting ticked off
The flesh eaters
Legionnaires' disease : opportunity knocks
6. The virus
The discovery of viruses
How do viruses work
Acute viral infections
Persistent viral infections
Our immune system and autoimmunity
Origin of viruses
Viruses as agents of genetic change
Beyond the virus, the prion
The gathering storm, emerging viruses
7. Emerging viruses
Marburg
Ebola
Lassa
Hantavirus
Dengue
West Nile virus
Why viruses emerge
8. Common viruses that kill
Influenza
The swine flu scare of 1976
The ABCs of hepatitis
Poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis)
Measles
9. Parasites that kill
Protozoa
Flatworms
Roundworms
Parasitic fungi : a fungus among us
10. AIDs
A new disease emerges
Searching for the cause
Testing for AIDs
Anatomy of a virus
Prevention
Treatment
Where did HIV come from
What lies ahead
11. Bioterrorism
The nations
The germs
Bioterrorism today.