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Good Germs, Bad Germs: Health and Survival in a Bacterial World Paperback – September 30, 2008

by Jessica Snyder Sachs (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 98 ratings
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Public sanitation and antibiotic drugs have brought about historic increases in the human life span; they have also unintentionally produced new health crises by disrupting the intimate, age-old balance between humans and the microorganisms that inhabit our bodies and our environment. As a result, antibiotic resistance now ranks among the gravest medical problems of modern times. Good Germs, Bad Germs tells the story of what went terribly wrong in our war on germs. It also offers a hopeful look into a future in which antibiotics will be designed and used more wisely, and beyond that to a day when we may replace antibacterial drugs and cleansers with bacterial ones.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 30, 2008
  4. Dimensions
    5.57 x 0.78 x 8.22 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0809016427
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0809016426
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Ground-breaking.” ―Newsweek

“Could hardly be more timely.” ―The New York Times

“Brings the battle against dirt firmly into the 21st century.” ―The Washington Post

“Explains how our obsession with cleanliness led us to this point and details how science may still find a way past the danger.” ―O, The Oprah Magazine

About the Author

Jessica Snyder Sachs is a freelance science writer. Her first book, Corpse: Nature, Forensics, and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, was published in 2001. She lives in New Jersey.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hill and Wang; First Edition (September 30, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0809016427
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0809016426
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.57 x 0.78 x 8.22 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 98 ratings

About the author

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Jessica Snyder Sachs

Jessica Snyder Sachs

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Author of Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death. For information on my current book project please visit my blog at http://www.jessicasachs.com .

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
98 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Timothy D. Lundeen
5.0 out of 5 stars They are everywhere!
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2007
Verified Purchase
Jessica Sachs writes about the intimate relationship between people and micro-organisms. Our skin has a 2-deep layer of bacteria, our mouths and gut have trillions of them; they are a constant part of our environment.

We've co-evolved with bacteria, and we need each other. Animals raised in a truly sterile environment, with no bacteria, do not thrive. Good bacteria help with food digestion, produce enzymes so we have better nutrition, and help fight off disease by crowding out disease-causing bacteria.

It looks as if we've been too successful in sterilizing our environment. Children raised on farms, where they are exposed to more bacteria while they are growing up, have a much lower rate of allergies and auto-immune diseases than children raised in cities. It looks like we need a certain amount of stimulation of our immune system by outside bacteria for it to develop optimally. Otherwise, our immune system grows up to be on a hair-trigger, ramping up too quickly and aggresively. Kids need to get dirty to grow up healthy :-)

This is an excellent book, with a background on the science of bacteria, how they evolve and respond to our use of antibiotics, how we are now threatened by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, techniques for reducing risks from disease-causing bacteria, a survey of probiotic developments and research, and discussion about where we are headed. Well written and engaging, highly recommended.
6 people found this helpful
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D. Phillips
5.0 out of 5 stars Insight into the Unseen
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2011
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This is one of the most fascinating and enlightening non-fiction books I've ever read. We think of bacteria and viruses as things out to get us that must be destroyed. But the deeper story about symbiosis and constant evolution is an amazing and much more genuine perspective. There are the classic examples about helpful bacteria that assist with digestion, but Sachs goes on to discuss a massive array of other bacteria that we manage to co-exist with peacefully and even benefit from. She provides eye-opening explanations about the positive and negative aspects of the microbioata on and in our body and the consequences of carpet bombing it with modern antibiotics. But it's a balanced perspective. She doesn't use this as an opportunity to entirely deride modern medicine or say we should heal ourselves with tree moss and hope. The book simply encourages the reader to consider the full implications of broad spectrum antibiotics and an overly sanitized society.

On a side note, the way babies naturally get their first inoculations during childbirth and the first few hours of life is one of the coolest things I've ever heard.

I've bought this book for several friends and family, from teenagers to adults. It's intelligently written but still accessible. I recommend it for all readers who would like more insight into the complex world of microorganisms and how they impact our health.
5 people found this helpful
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Garrett Meggs
4.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting material
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2019
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I was very impressed with how much this book was able to teach me. I feel that most people would benefit from reading this even if not for class!
One person found this helpful
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Dutchman
5.0 out of 5 stars Living in a bacterial world
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2008
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This book should convince you of a new paradigm. We do not live in a world of bacteria that are trying to invade and kill us. We live in a self-made environment of bacteria that have a stake in our survival, and that protect us from potentially harmful disease. Our use and overuse of antibiotics is changing our individual bacterial ecosystems for the worse, hence the rise of multiply-drug-resistant microorganisms.

Sachs illustrates all this with entertaining clarity, then goes on to describe how current scientists are taking legions of bacteria, putting them through the equivalent of a bacterial Olympics, and deploying the winners to restore a healthful personal ecosystem that can rid us of certain illnesses.

I am a physician with over thirty years in practice. I read and then reviewed and annotated this book, and am writing a newsletter to my patients about it. I think every person, physician or not, will enjoy and learn from this excellent book.
7 people found this helpful
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L. Barker
5.0 out of 5 stars easy to read, extremely informative, everyone should READ THIS BOOK
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2012
Verified Purchase
a really interesting book which i wish every mom & dad would read so they would stop buying into the 'antibacterial' craze. manufacturers have turned us into a country of germophobes, and in doing so are creating a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. this onslaught of products designed to keep our homes germ-free is creating strains of super-bugs, resistant to stronger and stronger antibacterials. we are creating a world where we will all end up being like the 'boy in the bubble', unable to fend off even the most innocuous germs even while they get stronger and stronger. (i'm sorry, but when we are told to buy 'hands free' soap dispensers, i think things have gone too far. who cares if the soap dispenser is 'germy'? isn't that why you're washing your hands? i'm more concerned with the door handle i'll be touching afterward.)

anyway, this book will open your eyes to the role bacteria play in our lives as well as the folly of our attempts to eradicate them. well written, and easy to understand without being simplistic, this is a book that everyone should read.
2 people found this helpful
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Robert C Campbell
5.0 out of 5 stars New Understanding of the Microbial World
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2012
Verified Purchase
Great book. Rarely is sophisticated scientific information brought to life for the lay world without watering it down. This book is intriguing and full of life like a good novel and is at the same time accurate with scientific rigor most PhD theses would be proud of. The topic is cutting edge presenting information that medical school texts have not caught up with. If you want to know what is going on in the real world of microbiology and immunology, read this book and be immersed in a paradigm shift in understanding of disease pathophysiology while being intrigued and entertained.

Robert C. Campbell MD
One person found this helpful
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Ameliawizard
5.0 out of 5 stars If you enjoy learning then buy this book
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2009
Verified Purchase
Great book if you enjoy learning.

If you ever wondered about human physiology and what makes the human body work then you should read this book.

I read through this thing like speed reading through a mystery thriller, it was that good. Well written, great research, makes science fun.

If you are in the least attracted to this type of reading then you must get this book.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2016
Verified Purchase
Having done biology A level and studying some biology at the moment in my degree, I found it fascinating. Jam-packed with factual information which was what I wanted, as I find many books are dumbed down. It is however explained in such a way, people who might have less biological knowledge will still understand.

It is essentially an eye-opener about how antibiotics are harmful and other approaches to medicine would be better.
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