[.ca] The Secret Life of Germs: What They Are, Why We Need ... (ISBN 0743421876)

Yikes! Get this book if you don't know what lurks about you:
This books will open your eyes to the world of germs, if they're not already open to them. You'll find some handy tips to keep yourself safe around the house... I've kept all the mites and allergies out of my system with originalmsm.com and the knowledge from this book has helped kill a lot of germs. It is definitely worth the read. It's one of those books that will change the way you live - for the better. Get it, read it, then tell the rest of us customers here at Amazon what you think.

Useful book - only slightly neurotic:
This is not one of those alarmist books that is meant to keep you up at night worrying about impending doom. Surprisingly, this is a realistic guide to understanding the real risks and benefits of germs and learning how to protect yourself. Probably the highest compliment I can pay this book is that I have changed some of my own hygiene strategies based on what I learned. Despite the fact that Tierno has spent most of his life studying germs and infectious diseases, he comes across and only slightly neurotic about hygiene. Maybe a third of the advice in this book is common sense, another third is probably over-ambitious, and a third is really useful and interesting. I would have found the book a lot more interesting, but less useful in an every day sense, if it had focused more on the epidemiology and microbiology and less on hygiene. I probably even would have forgiven him for throwing in a few more sensationalistic stories about epidemics and drug-resistant microbes. But then again, there are plenty of books out there that already have that covered.

Lessons we should have learned:
Do you remember your mother and your teachers always getting after you to wash your hands? And sometimes a little voice inside of you said, "My hands already look clean." And you didn't bother to wash them? You might not think it worthwhile to read a book that nags you on this very same subject, especially if you are a physician or hospital care worker. But, as this author points out, hospital-acquired infections are among the biggest public health threats in America and they're on the rise. The often drug-resistant germs kill more than twice as many people as traffic accidents (in fact, these infections kill more people per year than all accidental deaths including car crashes, fires, burns, falls, etc.) and cost an estimated $4.5 billion a year. Those are astonishing statistics--something to be expected from a medieval pest hole, not a modern hospital. Just yesterday (10/25/2002), the government issued guidelines urging doctors and nurses to abandon the ritual of washing their hands with soap and water between patients, and instead rub on fast-drying alcohol gels to kill more germs. The author of "The Secret Life of Germs" also favors germicides over simple soap and water. He's done his research and does not feel that germs will develop resistance to these products, because they do not kill selectively like antibiotics do. Be sure to read the section on "The (Not So) Sweet Smell of Human Flora." You might be surprised by some of the causes of chronic bad breath---and the remedies (chew a wad a parsley or celery seed after eating garlic). In fact this book recommends protective response strategies for almost all of those times when you might find yourself in a germ-laden environment. After hospitals, public restrooms are the scariest (yes, your mother was right about them, too). The author recommends specific techniques for washing your hands before and after using public facilities. Unfortunately, another one of his protective response strategies--close the lid of the seat before flushing--can't be implemented in a restroom stall, because there are no lids. This is a problem because "flushing the toilet can send small drops of aerosolized fecal matter as far as twenty feet into the air." The least you can do is close the lid at home, especially if your toothbrush happens to be stored in the open, less than twenty feet away from your toilet. The sections on pets, fast food, municipal water supplies and leftovers are also grim. Did you know that the bacterium 'Listeria monocytogenes,' the cause of listeriosis food poisoning, resists freezing and actually thrives at normal refrigeration temperatures? The author has a list of nineteen protective response strategies for eating and drinking. You really should check them out, especially if you are fond of fast foods, are giving or attending a party where food is served buffet-style, or are immuno-suppressed. "The Secret Life of Germs" is not a fun book, but it is essential reading for those of us who are concerned about our health or the health of others (Saddam Hussein is actually practicing good hygiene when he makes people scrub up before shaking hands with him).

Interesting and scary but also flat and preachy:
Unlike some of my fellow reviewers, I was not so impressed with Tierno's The Secret Life of Germs. While a lot of what he has to say is fascinating, and I learned a lot from his writing, I found his style to be off-putting. The author certainly seems to have the credentials to talk about his subject (and the media exposure as an expert to boot, as he repeatedly tells of his television appearances). And he does a very thorough job of showing the history of and the reach of germs in our world. And for the paranoid, he certainly gives enough credence that the clean world around us is just teeming with dangers. But I found much of the book seemed to be written by not a germ adversary but a germ-aphobe. Tierno seems to go out of his way to show the simple things are deadly, citing X thousand of death from this microbe or that one. And how we must maintain vigilance in our daily life by washing constantly. If you believe his courses of action you would be constantly scrubbing your hands during the course of preparing dinner. While yes, there is unmistakable dangers our there to be careful of, Tierno seems to lack tradeoff in balancing the dangers with everyday life. He is also very fond of citing statistics - how many death are caused, and such, yet for someone with the background he has, the lack of a single source for his statements undercuts his arguments. No footnotes. No endnotes, No bibliography. Just his "Protective Response Strategy." As an overview of germs in our world it is a good read. But as the wakeup call to arms that the author seems to want it to be, if falls flat.

Extremely Educational and Entertaining:
This amazing book is truly one of a kind. I would highly recommend it to anyone with the slightest interest in "germs", microbiology, or personal hygiene, and it is an absolute must read for biology or medical students. Dr. Tierno educates the reader on the world of germs and their amazing interactions with the human race. His style would, in my opinion, be easily read and enjoyed by both casual readers and members of the scientific community. I highly recommend this book!