Rabid

A searing narrative. <br> --The New York Times <br> 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. <br> --San Francisco Chronicle <br> 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. <br> --The Wall Street Journal <br> Rabid delivers the drama of Louis Pasteur's courageous work developing the rabies vaccine at the same time it details the disease's place in our cultural history, taking us from Homer to the Bronte sisters to Zora Neale Hurston to Richard Matheson. . . . All along the book's prose and pace shine--the book is as fast as the virus is slow. <br> --The Seattle Times <br> A very readable, fascinating account of a terrifying disease....Wasik and Murphy grippingly trace the cultural history of the disease. . . . Rabid reminds us that the disease is a chilling, persistent reminder of our own animal connections, and of the simple fact that humans don't call all of the shots. <br> --The Boston Globe <br> Compelling. . . . Murphy and Wasik give life, context and understanding to the terrifying disease. Like the virus itself, this fascinating book moves quickly, exploring both the marginalized status and deadly nature of the virus. And as the authors trace the influence of rabies through history, Rabid becomes nearly impossible to put down. <br> --New Scientist <br> An elegant exploration of the science behind one of the most horrible way to die. <br>--Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail <br> This book is not for the squeamish. Yet those who are fascinated by how viruses attack the body, by the history of vaccination and by physicians' effo