Rabies: (Biographies of Disease)

Diseases have a history, and understanding that history helps us understand how best to treat and control disease today. Today's students are confronted with a panoply of often-frightening illnesses and afflictions—the Biography of Diseases series provides students with the information that they need to understand the origin of various maladies, how they impact contemporary society, and how doctors and diseases researchers from around the world are fighting to devise treatments to alleviate or cure these. This volume, Rabies, examines that disease that caused fear and panic for centuries because of the horror of dying of rabies and the near certainty of death once one has contracted the disease. And despite the famous vaccine discovered by Louis Pasteur in the 19th centuries, thousands still die of rabies every year in developing countries.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction Time Line 1.Rabies and history 2.How one gets infected with rabies 3.How is rabies diagnosed? 4.Prevention of rabies 5.Treatment of rabies 6.The global burden of rabies 7.The current and future trends in rabies Abbreviations Glossary Bibliography

About the Author :
P. Dileep Kumar is an internal medicine physician with several years of experience. He has published more than 90 papers in various peer reviewed scientific journals and presented papers in several medical conferences. Dr Kumar is a peer reviewer for several international medical journals. He is also active in the American College of Physicians, serving in various capacities including judging presentations at the regional and national meetings.

Review :
Rabies, the most recent title in Greenwood's 'Biographies of Disease' series, provides a good basic introduction to rabies epidemiology. It is quite suitable for general/non-science readers interested in learning more about the nature of this disease. . . . Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers. In Biographies of Disease: Rabies, P. Dileep Kumar has provided a treatise that combines historical perspectives with a medical review that makes this text relevant for infectious disease specialists, public health workers, physicians, and laypersons interested in a disease that still terrifies health care professionals and laypersons. This text will be exciting to readers drawn to the confluence of medicine and history. Medically unsophisticated readers can understand the text because of Kumar's careful explanation of the clinical, microbiological, and immunologic features of rabies as well as his inclusion of a helpful glossary. This keeps the book relevant for those seeking to better understand the effect rabies has and will have on society. Kumar has meticulously reviewed the salient features, history, prevention, treatment, public health aspects, and future trends of rabies. . . . an excellent current reference that is both informative and enjoyable to read. '