Humans have lived in close proximity to other animals for thousands of  years. Recent scientific studies have even shown that the presence of  animals has a positive effect on our physical and mental health. People  with pets typically have lower blood pressure, show fewer symptoms of  depression, and tend to get more exercise.But there is a darker side  to the relationship between animals and humans. Animals are carriers of  harmful infectious agents and the source of a myriad of human diseases.  In recent years, the emergence of high-profile illnesses such as AIDS,  SARS, West Nile virus, and bird flu has drawn much public attention, but  as E. Fuller Torrey and Robert H. Yolken reveal, the transfer of deadly  microbes from animals to humans is neither a new nor an easily avoided  problem.Beginning with the domestication of farm animals nearly  10,000 years ago, Beasts of the Earth traces the ways that human-animal  contact has evolved over time. Today, shared living quarters,  overlapping ecosystems, and experimental surgical practices where organs  or tissues are transplanted from non-humans into humans continue to  open new avenues for the transmission of infectious agents. Other  changes in human behavior like increased air travel, automated food  processing, and threats of bioterrorism are increasing the contagion  factor by transporting microbes further distances and to larger  populations in virtually no time at all.While the authors urge that a  better understanding of past diseases may help us lessen the severity  of some illnesses, they also warn that, given our increasingly crowded  planet, it is not a question of if but when and how often  animal-transmitted diseases will pose serious challenges to human health  in the future.

Beasts Of The Earth: Animals, Humans, And Disease PDF

The list of books you might like