Leeuwenhoek's Legatees and Beijerinck's Beneficiaries

Leeuwenhoek's Legatees and Beijerinck's Beneficiaries PDF Author: Gerard van Doornum
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press
ISBN: 9048544068
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
This book offers a tour of the history of medical virology in the Netherlands from the nineteenth century to the new millennium. Beginning with the discovery of the first virus by Martinus Beijerinck in 1898, the authors investigate the reception and redefinition of his concept in medical circles and its implications for medical practice, particularly in the diagnosis and prevention of viral infections. The relatively slow progress of these areas in the first half of the twentieth century and their explosive growth in the wake of molecular techniques are examined. The surveillance and control of virus diseases in the field of public health is treated in depth, as are tumour virus research and the important Dutch contributions to technical developments instrumental in advancing virology worldwide. Particular attention is paid to oft forgotten virus research in the former Dutch colonies in the East and West Indies and Africa.

Leeuwenhoek's Legatees and Beijerinck's Beneficiaries

Leeuwenhoek's Legatees and Beijerinck's Beneficiaries PDF Author: Gerard van Doornum
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press
ISBN: 9048544068
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book

Book Description
This book offers a tour of the history of medical virology in the Netherlands from the nineteenth century to the new millennium. Beginning with the discovery of the first virus by Martinus Beijerinck in 1898, the authors investigate the reception and redefinition of his concept in medical circles and its implications for medical practice, particularly in the diagnosis and prevention of viral infections. The relatively slow progress of these areas in the first half of the twentieth century and their explosive growth in the wake of molecular techniques are examined. The surveillance and control of virus diseases in the field of public health is treated in depth, as are tumour virus research and the important Dutch contributions to technical developments instrumental in advancing virology worldwide. Particular attention is paid to oft forgotten virus research in the former Dutch colonies in the East and West Indies and Africa.

Immunization and States

Immunization and States PDF Author: Stuart Blume
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000477754
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
Globally, there has been a move away from national public sector vaccine development over the past 30 years. Immunization and States: The Politics of Making Vaccines explores vaccine geopolitics, analyzing why, and how this move happened, before looking at the ramifications in the context of Covid-19. This unique book uses eight country studies – looking at Croatia, India, Iran, the Netherlands, Romania, Serbia, Spain, and Sweden – to explore the role of public sector vaccine institutes, past and present. Raising questions about national sovereignty, the erosion of multilateralism, and geopolitics, it also contributes to debates around public interest and privatization in the health sector. An extended introduction sets the chapters in an international context, whilst the epilogue looks forward to the future of vaccine development and production. This is an important book for students, scholars, and practitioners with an interest in vaccine development from a range of fields, including public health, medicine, science and technology studies, history of medicine, politics, international relations, and the sociology of health and illness.

A Tale of Two Viruses

A Tale of Two Viruses PDF Author: Neeraja Sankaran
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
ISBN: 0822987716
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 394

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Book Description
In 1965, French microbiologist André Lwoff was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on lysogeny—one of the two types of viral life cycles—which resolved a contentious debate among scientists about the nature of viruses. A Tale of Two Viruses is the first study of medical virology to compare the history of two groups of medically important viruses—bacteriophages, which infect bacteria, and sarcoma agents, which cause cancer—and the importance of Lwoff’s discovery to our modern understanding of what a virus is. Although these two groups of viruses may at first glance appear to have little in common, they share uniquely parallel histories. The lysogenic cycle, unlike the lytic, enables viruses to replicate in the host cell without destroying it and to remain dormant in a cell’s genetic material indefinitely, or until induced by UV radiation. But until Lwoff’s discovery of the mechanism of lysogeny, microbiologist Félix d’Herelle and pathologist Peyton Rous, who themselves first discovered and argued for the viral identity of bacteriophages and certain types of cancer, respectively, faced opposition from contemporary researchers who would not accept their findings. By following the research trajectories of the two virus groups, Sankaran takes a novel approach to the history of the development of the field of medical virology, considering both the flux in scientific concepts over time and the broader scientific landscapes or styles that shaped those ideas and practices.

Saint Anthony's Fire from Antiquity to the Eighteenth Century

Saint Anthony's Fire from Antiquity to the Eighteenth Century PDF Author: Alessandra Foscati
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789462983342
Category : MEDICAL
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
After the discovery of the ergotism epidemics (poisoning caused by ingesting the fungal toxin of rye) and its etiology, eighteenth-century physicians interpreted medieval chronicles in their medical texts in order to recognize the occurrences of ergotic diseases through retrospective diagnosis. They assumed that St. Anthony's fire and ignis sacer ("sacred fire") recorded in medieval texts represented the same disease, ergotism. This interpretative method, lacking a textual basis in the sources, has been incorrectly followed by historians till now. This book examines this historical prejudice through textual analysis, comparing diverse medieval and early modern sources. A striking semantic complexity emerges that changes the concept of St. Anthony's fire and modifies our understanding of diseases in general. This research illuminates aspects of the history of medicine, society, and hospitals.

The City of Falling Angels

The City of Falling Angels PDF Author: John Berendt
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9780143036937
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 438

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Book Description
A #1 New York Times Bestseller! "Funny, insightful, illuminating . . ." —The Boston Globe Twelve years ago, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil exploded into a monumental success, residing a record-breaking four years on the New York Times bestseller list (longer than any work of fiction or nonfiction had before) and turning John Berendt into a household name. The City of Falling Angels is Berendt's first book since Midnight, and it immediately reminds one what all the fuss was about. Turning to the magic, mystery, and decadence of Venice, Berendt gradually reveals the truth behind a sensational fire that in 1996 destroyed the historic Fenice opera house. Encountering a rich cast of characters, Berendt tells a tale full of atmosphere and surprise as the stories build, one after the other, ultimately coming together to portray a world as finely drawn as a still-life painting.

The Epic History of Biology

The Epic History of Biology PDF Author: Anthony Serafini
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1489963278
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 396

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Book Description
The search for our elusive human origins and an understanding of the mysteries of the human body have challenged the most inquisitive and imaginative thinkers from Egyptian times through the twentieth century. In The Epic History of Biology, Anthony Serafini - a distinguished philosopher and historian of science - regales the reader with the triumphs and failures of the geniuses of the life sciences. The subtleties of the animal kingdom - anatomy, zoology, and reproduction - along with the complexities of the plant kingdom, have fascinated humanity as far back as 5000 years ago. Astounding ancient knowledge of the arcane curing powers of herbs as well as early experimentation with different chemical combinations for such purposes as mummification led to today's biological technology. Innovative pioneers such as Aristotle, Galen, Hippocrates, and Vesalius challenged the limits of knowledge and single-mindedly pursued their work, often in the face of blind superstition. In superb, lyrical prose Serafini recreates the ideas and theories of these revolutionaries from ancient times through today, against the backdrop of the dogma and prejudices of their time. He explores the inspired revelations that gave birth to such discoveries as the controversial theory of evolution, the humble origins of genetics, the fantastic predictions of quantum mechanics, and the infinite promise of computer technology. Even today the biological sciences are undergoing rapid and kaleidoscopic changes. Every new insight gives rise to a myriad of new ethical questions and responsibilities. The Epic History of Biology confronts these issues head on and predicts the wondrous new directions biology will follow.

Unravelling the Double Helix

Unravelling the Double Helix PDF Author: Gareth Williams
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1643132830
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 504

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Book Description
Unraveling the Double Helix covers the most colorful period in the history of DNA, from the discovery of "nuclein" in the late 1860s to the publication of James Watson's The Double Helix in 1968. These hundred years included the establishment of the Nobel Prize, antibiotics, x-ray crystallography, the atom bomb and two devastating world wars—events which are strung along the thread of DNA like beads on a necklace. The story of DNA is a saga packed with awful mistakes as well as brilliant science, with a wonderful cast of heroes and villains. Surprisingly, much of it is unfamiliar. The elucidation of the double helix was one of the most brilliant gems of twentieth century science, but some of the scientists who paved the way have been airbrushed out of history. James Watson and Francis Crick solved a magnificent mystery, but Gareth Williams shows that their contribution was the last few pieces of a gigantic jigsaw puzzle assembled over several decades.The book is comprehensive in scope, covering the first century of the history of DNA in its entirety, including the eight decades that have been neglected by other authors. It also explores the personalities of the main players, the impact of their entanglement with DNA, and what unique qualities make great scientists tick.

Viral Molecular Machines

Viral Molecular Machines PDF Author: Michael G. Rossmann
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461409802
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 687

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Book Description
This book will contain a series of solicited chapters that concern with the molecular machines required by viruses to perform various essential functions of virus life cycle. The first three chapters (Introduction, Molecular Machines and Virus Architecture) introduce the reader to the best known molecular machines and to the structure of viruses. The remainder of the book will examine in detail various stages of the viral life cycle. Beginning with the viral entry into a host cell, the book takes the reader through replication of the genome, synthesis and assembly of viral structural components, genome packaging and maturation into an infectious virion. Each chapter will describe the components of the respective machine in molecular or atomic detail, genetic and biochemical analyses, and mechanism. Topics are carefully selected so that the reader is exposed to systems where there is a substantial infusion of new knowledge in recent years, which greatly elevated the fundamental mechanistic understanding of the respective molecular machine. The authors will be encouraged to simplify the detailed knowledge to basic concepts, include provocative new ideas, as well as design colorful graphics, thus making the cutting-edge information accessible to broad audience.

Virus as Populations

Virus as Populations PDF Author: Esteban Domingo
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0128163321
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
Virus as Composition, Complexity, Quasispecies, Dynamics, and Biological Implications, Second Edition, explains the fundamental concepts surrounding viruses as complex populations during replication in infected hosts. Fundamental phenomena in virus behavior, such as adaptation to changing environments, capacity to produce disease, and the probability to be transmitted or respond to treatment all depend on virus population numbers. Concepts such as quasispecies dynamics, mutations rates, viral fitness, the effect of bottleneck events, population numbers in virus transmission and disease emergence, and new antiviral strategies are included. The book's main concepts are framed by recent observations on general virus diversity derived from metagenomic studies and current views on the origin and role of viruses in the evolution of the biosphere. Features current views on key steps in the origin of life and origins of viruses Includes examples relating ancestral features of viruses with their current adaptive capacity Explains complex phenomena in an organized and coherent fashion that is easy to comprehend and enjoyable to read Considers quasispecies as a framework to understand virus adaptability and disease processes

The Oxford Illustrated History of Science

The Oxford Illustrated History of Science PDF Author: Iwan Rhys Morus
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199663270
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 443

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Book Description
The Oxford Illustrated History of Science offers readers an accessible and entertaining introduction to the history of science as well as a valuable and authoritative reference work.