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Pathogenesis
Pathogenesis: How infectious diseases shaped human history | Jonathan Kennedy
10 posts | 12 read | 18 to read
Humans did not make history - we played host. This humbling and revelatory book shows how infectious disease has shaped humanity at every stage, from the first success of Homo sapiens over the equally intelligent Neanderthals to the fall of Rome and the rise of Islam. How did an Indonesian volcano help cause the Black Death, setting Europe on the road to capitalism? How could 168 men extract the largest ransom in history from an opposing army of eighty thousand? And why did the Industrial Revolution lead to the birth of the modern welfare state? The latest science reveals that infectious diseases are not just something that happens to us, but a fundamental part of who we are. Indeed, the only reason humans don't lay eggs is that a virus long ago inserted itself into our DNA, and there are as many bacteria in your body as there are human cells. We have been thinking about the survival of the fittest all wrong: evolution is not simply about human strength and intelligence, but about how we live and thrive in a world dominated by germs. By exploring the startling intimacy of our relationship with infectious diseases, Dr Jonathan Kennedy shows how they have been responsible for some of the seismic revolutions of the past 50,000 years. A major reassessment of world history, Pathogenesis also reveals how the crisis of a pandemic can offer vital opportunities for change.
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JenniferEgnor
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Pickpick

This is a fascinating book. It isn‘t about specific types of pathogens, but rather it is about how pathogens drive and shape humanity. Pathogens and humans continue to evolve, as history shows us; we seem to take turns in who dominates. From our earliest stages of evolution, through classical Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, & Colonial days until now—pathogens continue to define and shape us. There is a lot we can learn from our experiences⬇️

JenniferEgnor with them; we have made many mistakes in the past and continue to suffer, to allow others to suffer, even in a moment when we have the tools to do something about it. As the planet gets ever warmer, pathogens gain advantages, and will find new ways to outsmart us. 3mo
14 likes1 comment
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JenniferEgnor
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Another mind-blowing example of a function that human ancestors acquired from retroviruses is the ability to give birth. When animals first evolved, they reproduced by laying eggs, and most creatures in the animal kingdom continue to give birth this way. Then, between 100 million and 200 million years ago, a shrew-like creature developed the capacity to gestate her young inside her own body—an extraordinary evolutionary advance because a fetus⬇️

JenniferEgnor is much safer growing inside its mother‘s body. It is only possible because of the placenta, a temporary organ that attaches to the uterus and allows nutrients and oxygen to pass from mother to baby, and carbon dioxide and waste to travel in the other direction, without provoking a devastating response from the mother‘s immune system. There is nothing like this interface between the placenta and womb anywhere else in our bodies. When⬇️ (edited) 3mo
JenniferEgnor geneticists looked at the gene responsible for creating it, they realized that it was almost identical to those used by retroviruses to produce the proteins that attach to cells they are infecting without triggering an immune response. The scientists concluded that a crucial function of the placenta didn‘t emerge gradually as a result of evolution by natural selection but was suddenly acquired when a retrovirus inserted its DNA into our⬇️ 3mo
JenniferEgnor ancestor‘s genome. If one of our distant ancestors hadn‘t been infected by a virus hundreds of millions of years ago, humans would reproduce by laying eggs. 3mo
15 likes3 comments
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Pedrocamacho
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Pickpick

This book is in my top 5 non-fiction books of all time. It is manages to be both very expansive and compact at the same time. It tells the big picture of pathogens and their effects on human history going all the way back to Homo sapiens tenuously coexisting with Neanderthals. Tuchmans “A Distant Mirror” is also in my top 5 and is a great companion piece for this book; its focus is much tighter: The Black Death. “Pathogenesis” is truly remarkable.

bibliothecarivs What are the other three in your top five? 5mo
Pedrocamacho Thanks for asking, @bibliothecarivs. “The Making of the Atomic Bomb” by Rhodes, “The Black Hole War” by Susskind, and “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom” by Blight 5mo
16 likes2 comments
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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

What an interesting book! I have a whole new understanding of human history now that I‘ve listened to this audiobook. Microbes shape our world! Sections on Ancient Rome, The Black Death and the pathogens brought to the indigenous communities were especially enlightening for me. Highly recommended for history/science enthusiasts! Thanks to @AmyG for helping me discover this one!

Crazeedi Can't wait to read this! 5mo
AmyG I am glad you enjoyed this. I thought it was fascinating! 5mo
Pedrocamacho If you really loved this one, then there is always the classic “The Distant Mirror” by Barbara Tuchman, which is largely about how the bubonic plague effectively destroyed feudalism in Western Europe. 5mo
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catiewithac
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Pickpick

This was a swift audio history of the world through the lens of infectious disease. I never considered how the Palatine and Ciprian plagues likely influenced the rise of Christianity. The book starts slowly with Prehistoric and Neolithic plagues but the pace picks up when people formed settlements and began growing crops. 🦠

AmyG Sounds fascinating. I just put a hold on the audiobook. 7mo
JamieArc I saw this book recently and meant to put it on my “books for Catie” list 😂. I take great pride when I see you review a book I would have chosen for you! 7mo
catiewithac @JamieArc excellent taste!!! 7mo
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BookishShelly
Pickpick

I listened to this book and it was really good. It's fascinating to me how much viruses and bacteria have shaped history (and current times).

Crazeedi I love books like this, stacking! 9mo
20 likes1 stack add1 comment
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mdemanatee
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Me at the beginning aware of how long it‘s been since I was in a biology class.

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RamsFan1963
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Mehso-so

46/150 This book isn't what I was expecting, from the title. I thought the author was going to discuss eight specific plagues, but instead, the book is a discussion of history as seen through the lens of infectious diseases. It is very informative, but the author allows his own bias and political leanings to influence his conclusions. It would have been better if he had been more objective. 3 ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

RamsFan1963 4th book finished for #MagnificientMay @Andrew65 1y
Andrew65 Doing great 👏👏👏 1y
61 likes2 comments
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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

Based on the subtitle, I expected this book to discuss 8 different infectious diseases and how those impacted their moment. Instead, it is a reframing of history with a focus on how infectious disease impacted or even caused certain things. Interesting and engaging, though for me there wasn‘t much here that was new.

Megabooks I agree with my initial expectations too, but I ended up really enjoying it. 1y
66 likes4 stack adds1 comment