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atnea's review
4.0
I had to read this for my Biology class. I just had to read chapters 2 and 3, but I actually liked it and wanted to read more of it. It's actually very interesting, and I learned a lot. Not really something you want to read over and over again, but you definitely need the information that's in here, as general culture. And it was laid down in a very easy, clear way, which I'm very thankful for.
sh00's review against another edition
4.0
Автор - конкретный русофоб, но тем не менее, работа его читается удивительно легко и приятно даже по прошествии почти сотни лет. Отдельное приятное ощущение вызывает описание экспериментальной части многих "охотников" - со всеми требуемыми подтверждениями и попыткой самоопровержения перед тем, как опубликоваться.
Цитату из последней прижизненной речи Луи Пастера я, наверное, в преподавательской повешу, студентам показывать. А рвение самих описываемых личностей заслуживает, наверное, прочтения вслух стихов Киплинга. "Пусть не хватало знаний простых - мужество было знанием их!"
А вы бы привили себе смертельную болезнь в научных целях?
Цитату из последней прижизненной речи Луи Пастера я, наверное, в преподавательской повешу, студентам показывать. А рвение самих описываемых личностей заслуживает, наверное, прочтения вслух стихов Киплинга. "Пусть не хватало знаний простых - мужество было знанием их!"
А вы бы привили себе смертельную болезнь в научных целях?
shaunireads1's review against another edition
4.0
"The Bible does not go into details about what the great wedding crowd thought of Jesus when he turned water into wine, but Pasteur, that second of June, was the impresario of a modern miracle as amazing as any of the marvels wrought by the Man of Galilee. [...] Here stood Louis Pasteur, while his 24 immune sheep scampered about among the carcasses of the same number of pitiful dead ones, [...] and all the world was there to see and to record and to be converted to his own faith in his passionate fight against needless death."
For a nonfiction history of science book that was published nearly ninety years ago (1926), this book is awesome! It brings to life the research and discoveries of at least at least a dozen microbe hunters, including Pasteur, Leeuwenhoeck, and Koch. I highly recommend it. I only gave it four stars instead of five because of the demeaning manner in which the author speaks of immigrants, Jews, and other minorities (admittedly typical of his time).
For a nonfiction history of science book that was published nearly ninety years ago (1926), this book is awesome! It brings to life the research and discoveries of at least at least a dozen microbe hunters, including Pasteur, Leeuwenhoeck, and Koch. I highly recommend it. I only gave it four stars instead of five because of the demeaning manner in which the author speaks of immigrants, Jews, and other minorities (admittedly typical of his time).
guatedina's review against another edition
5.0
A fabulous set of stories profiling the earliest efforts in microbe hunting.
bookshelf_from_mars's review against another edition
4.0
This is a popular history, pure and simple, but it also a massively entertaining pop history. De Kruif may be the most excited student of any subject ever to put words to paper. He brings the pioneers of Microbiology and Virology to life with charm and genuine delight. Half the fun of the book is seeing how the author reacts to the exploits of the microbe hunters. Beyond Paul, though, the stories themselves capture the mind and dive it into the mysteries confronted by the likes of Pasteur, Koch, Spallanzani, and others. One should note that these stories are heavily editorialized (and some of the later chapters have none-too-subtle shades of racism and stereotyping), and that takes away from the member of the audience in search of concrete history. However, if one wants merely an introduction to the microbe hunters and an entertaining method for learning about them, this book is for that one.
geneticginger's review against another edition
4.0
Great book about the pioneers of Microbiology. The writing style is very refreshing and light hearted and praises the countless hours these men spent researching. It's an encouraging book to read as a scientist and see how many failures these men had to go through before triumphing.