Okay, so I must admit... I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to understanding the scientific jargon used in most journals discussing epidemiology and other areas of interest. I love to read about the world around me, but sometimes need a translator to comprehend it all! That's the great thing about Arno Karlen's book, "Biography of a Germ"-- you don't have to have your doctorate in microbacteriology to enjoy this book as a great read. On the surface the subject may seem a bit, well, odd... but Karlen's wit makes it easy to find yourself enthralled with the life and loves of Bb, this book's microscopic hero and hellion all rolled into one tiny spirochete. Before you know it, you are actually LEARNING a thing or two... and enjoying every minute of it! Far beyond just a crack at popular science, "Biography of a Germ" just might provide a few answers not only about the world within but the world around.

This is a cute little book on science which is also very informative and easy to read at the same time. I highly recommend it to anyone who may be interested in biology, medicine, popular science, or just a good story well told, as it covers not just the life of the germ, but also a little bit of its cultural and natural history.

I have Lyme disease, and have read tons of info on Bb. This is the first description I've found that I would not describe as dry. There's an old saying that you should keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. This book allows you to do so with a germ that's wreaking havoc in your life in a way that makes you laugh instead of cry. I'm glad Arno Karlan wrote this book.

If you use alternative means of health practices, this book will assist you and your practitioner in guiding your care. This book discusses electro-dermal screening and various vitamins/minerals/homeopathic-types to coinside with recovering from Lyme Disease. Written in a very positive manner, not depressing, like other Lyme Disease books.

I just got a pre-release copy of his second edition of the book and it really gave me hope. I had read the shorter version he had written last year and this is way better. I wish that my doctor would read it since it talks in detail of the illness on a level that I can understand. It was nice to see that he recommends HBOT and discusses it a bit. I'm glad to see that my MD is listed in his directory in the back of the book too - that was really encouraging! It's about time to have a book on natural things that will help us.

Dr Jernigan has written this book so that it is understandable to the lay person. It should be read by all those doctors that are in a silent war against long term treatment of chronic Lyme disease (CLD). Anyone who has questions about alternative treatment for CLD will find many answers in this book. I have been studying Lyme disease for more than 5 years.I wish I had this book back.

Thank you Dr. Jernigan for the time and effort you have put into writing this book.

This book is a rare find as it discusses supplements helpful for patients with Lyme Disease. The only downside is that it was written in 1994, and I wish the author would write an update.

The author of this book claims just about everything in the world is related to drug smuggling and CIA conspiracies.

One of the oddest assertions is that the Nazi Klaus Barbi was a triple agent for the US and USSR, and had a team of commandos that trained the Contras. It's amazing that this book ever got published

...Anyway...

There's a number of strange diseases, like lyme disease, SARs, AIDS, and many others.... that seemingly mutate out of nowhere. Many vaccine programs are also suspected to have caused epidemics, especially in third world countries where the immune system is already degraded from poor diet and poor drinking water. The truth of the matter is, nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and America, designed thousands of war machine microbes. It would be naive to NOT suspect that some of these microbes escaped into the population. Verden offers an interesting theory considering we will never know the truth about the secret programs of the 3 most hideous war machines in history.

I contracted chronic Lyme disease a year ago and was not diagnosed for ten months. During that time I got worse and worse and not one doctor helped me. In fact they were rude and didn't listen. The over all feeling in the medical community is one of disbelief and hostility. This book is the epitome of those feelings. Reading this book made me feel the same way I did listening to a doctor tell me that the positive test was not significant. This book does nothing more than berate those that are already sick and frightened. It makes you feel as though you are the one with the problem. The disease is all in your head. Also I think I should add that the author of this book was appointed to the Lyme Advisory community for California and then was promptly removed because the people that had Lyme Disease were so angry with his attitude towards them. Beware of this book. It will do nothing other than make you feel bad about a disease that is not your fault. Which leads me to the age old question, Which is worse the cure or the disease? When there are books like this on the market perpetuating the horrible attitude towards truly sick people it is neither. Until this opinion is dispelled, there is no disease and there will be no cure despite how sick you really are.

This book will only confuse you if you are looking for real answers to the Lyme disease controversy or help for an undiagnosed illness. Barbour does not give you enough information to make informed decisions regarding treatment or diagnosis of an actual entrenched and untreated case of Lyme disease. Your money will be better spent buying books by Denise Lang, Karen Forschner, or Polly Murray.

Barbour (Prof. of Medicicine & Microbiology at U, Texas, and specialist on the topic) provides a sympathetic, wide-ranging look at Lyme disease and related topics that reveals not only the difficulties in fully understanding the disease, but (in the process) the difficulties in diagnosis that medicine faces in many areas of diagnosis and treatment. The book is very clearly written and interesting to both layperson and medic. The lack of references is unfortunate, but as a leading expert, Barbour may be considered a primary source. If you want to be told you have Lyme disease, you may be disappointed. If you want to understand why that diagnosis might be problematical, and what the various sources of difficulty are, you will be more than satisfied. In the end, you will also be in a position to participate in a process of participatory diagnosis and treatment between patient and medic with a great deal more certainty, based on real knowledge.