So Very Small
How humans discovered germs, uncovered infectious diseases, and deluded themselves that we had conquered them
Seiten
2026
Apollo (Verlag)
978-1-80024-908-0 (ISBN)
Apollo (Verlag)
978-1-80024-908-0 (ISBN)
- Noch nicht erschienen (ca. Februar 2026)
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An immersive and epic journey by a masterly historian of science through the history of the fight against bacteria, from pioneering medical breakthroughs to the vital race to stay ahead of their rapid evolution.
In 1665, an infectious disease swept through the British capital and claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. It would take another two hundred years for the cause of the Great Plague of London to be confirmed: a powerful bacterium called Yersinia pestis. In those centuries, our understanding of diseases was transformed.
In So Very Small, Thomas Levenson reveals how human hubris led us to overestimate our own ability and underestimate the threat that microorganisms truly pose. He journeys through some of the most significant epidemics and pandemics in history, including the recurrent outbreaks of cholera in Europe and Asia, and the
1721 Boston smallpox epidemic.
The turning point came in the nineteenth century with the development of germ theory: the concept that microbes can cause disease. Levenson shows how, in the years that followed, scientists made major breakthroughs in our ongoing struggle against infectious disease. Perhaps the greatest of these achievements is the discovery of antibiotic treatment, which has been the salvation of much of humanity in recent centuries.
In a story that spans centuries and continents, So Very Small explores the scientific quest to understand how tiny organisms have impacted the wider world – and looks ahead to the battle to fight their rapid evolution.
In 1665, an infectious disease swept through the British capital and claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. It would take another two hundred years for the cause of the Great Plague of London to be confirmed: a powerful bacterium called Yersinia pestis. In those centuries, our understanding of diseases was transformed.
In So Very Small, Thomas Levenson reveals how human hubris led us to overestimate our own ability and underestimate the threat that microorganisms truly pose. He journeys through some of the most significant epidemics and pandemics in history, including the recurrent outbreaks of cholera in Europe and Asia, and the
1721 Boston smallpox epidemic.
The turning point came in the nineteenth century with the development of germ theory: the concept that microbes can cause disease. Levenson shows how, in the years that followed, scientists made major breakthroughs in our ongoing struggle against infectious disease. Perhaps the greatest of these achievements is the discovery of antibiotic treatment, which has been the salvation of much of humanity in recent centuries.
In a story that spans centuries and continents, So Very Small explores the scientific quest to understand how tiny organisms have impacted the wider world – and looks ahead to the battle to fight their rapid evolution.
Thomas Levenson is a teacher, author and documentary filmmaker. He is Professor of Science Writing and was formerly Director of the Graduate Program in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As well as writing articles and reviews, he is the author of Einstein in Berlin, Newton and the Counterfeiter, The Hunt for Vulcan and Money for Nothing.
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 12.2.2026 |
|---|---|
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 129 x 198 mm |
| Themenwelt | Medizin / Pharmazie ► Medizinische Fachgebiete |
| Naturwissenschaften | |
| ISBN-10 | 1-80024-908-X / 180024908X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-80024-908-0 / 9781800249080 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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