Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus
Bill Wasik, Monica Murphy
Language: English
Pages: 288
ISBN: 0143123572
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
The most fatal virus known to science, rabies-a disease that spreads avidly from animals to humans-kills nearly one hundred percent of its victims once the infection takes root in the brain. In this critically acclaimed exploration, journalist Bill Wasik and veterinarian Monica Murphy chart four thousand years of the history, science, and cultural mythology of rabies. From Greek myths to zombie flicks, from the laboratory heroics of Louis Pasteur to the contemporary search for a lifesaving treatment, Rabid is a fresh and often wildly entertaining look at one of humankind's oldest and most fearsome foes. "A searing narrative." -The New York Times "In this keen and exceptionally well-written book, rife with surprises, narrative suspense and a steady flow of expansive insights, 'the world's most diabolical virus' conquers the unsuspecting reader's imaginative nervous system. . . . A smart, unsettling, and strangely stirring piece of work." -San Francisco Chronicle "Fascinating. . . . Wasik and Murphy chronicle more than two millennia of myths and discoveries about rabies and the animals that transmit it, including dogs, bats and raccoons." -The Wall Street Journal
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an English-language tour to two quizzical Americans. Though pilgrims no longer come for hydrophobia cures, the docent waxes passionate about how, at least in a metaphorical way, the healing power of Saint Hubert remains relevant to the contemporary seeker. “We have our own rabies here,” she proclaims, clutching a hand to her chest. “We are depressed. Something is wrong in our hearts. Something is wrong in our minds.” Throughout the basilica, in stone and enamel and wood, countless elaborate
the court orders the incineration of all the case records—and, naturally, of the tailor. That same year, near Angers, a fifteen-year-old boy is murdered and a half-naked man, with long hair and beard, is taken into custody. This man, Jacques Roulet, admits to using a salve to transform himself into a wolf. He, too, is sentenced to death, though—in a sign the werewolf hunters of France have perhaps lost some of their moxie—the parliament in Paris later commutes his sentence to two years’
were to happen to one of them, the more courageous of the two others would put a bullet in his head.” We cannot claim so much bravado for this volume, on either our account or yours. A better analogy, perhaps, is the difficult process by which veterinarians submit suspect pets for rabies testing—another case study in how this diabolical disease causes nothing but agony for those who behold it. Even today, vets do not use a blood test for rabies in animals; it’s not a pinprick and wait-and-see
subjects. Pasteur assented indifferently to the various dictates of the veterinary crowd, never backing down from his assertion that “[t]he twenty-five unvaccinated sheep will perish; the twenty-five vaccinated ones will survive.” Pasteur projected complete confidence but was privately anguished as he waited to learn the fate of the herd. As the hours ticked by and the only news from Rossignol’s farm was of a sick ewe from the vaccinated group, Pasteur’s resolve began to waver. But two days
visible remnant of her brush with rabies. She remembers very little of the critical phase of her illness but seems to relish hearing about it from others. She is particularly delighted to hear doctors and nurses confess that they thought she would never survive. As far as Precious is concerned, everything is the same as it was before she got rabies: she still plays soccer, and wrestles, and does generally well at school. She still is fond of animals—most of them, that is. “I don’t like cats,” she
