etiology

Examines the rise in autism cases in American children since the 1980s, a trend that corresponds to new childhood vaccinations which contain thimerosal, a preservative made of the toxin mercury, and follows the struggles of several families to learn why their once-healthy children became autistic.

Explains what Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is, how to reduce its risk, the controversies surrounding different explanations for the disease, and personal experiences with it.

"Washington Post reporter Craig Timberg and Harvard AIDS researcher Daniel Halperin, PhD, recount for the first time how Western colonial powers unwittingly sparked the AIDS epidemic and then fanned its rise. Drawing on remarkable new genetic discoveries, Tinderbox overturns the conventional wisdom on the origins of this deadly pandemic and the best means to fight it today"--Provided by publisher.

Examines the causes of birth defects, the hardships faced by children born with them, and ways of preventing them.

Presents fifteen medical anecdotes about complex medical cases that are difficult to diagnose, covering a variety of symptoms and the subtle interactions between pathogens, humans, and the environment that can make diagnosis a puzzling dilemma.

Explains the dangers that various drugs can pose to pregnant women and their unborn children, discussing birth defects such as fetal alcohol syndrome and the effects of cocaine and heroin.

The true story of Phineas Gage, whose brain had been pierced by an iron rod in 1848, and who survived and became a case study in how the brain functions.