In the years since the 9/11 attacks—and the subsequent lethal anthrax letters—the United States has spent billions of dollars on measures to defend the population against the threat of biological weapons. But as Lynn C. Klotz and Edward J. Sylvester argue forcefully in Breeding Bio Insecurity, all that money and effort hasn’t made us any safer—in fact, it has made us more vulnerable. Breeding Bio Insecurity reveals the mistakes made to this point and lays out the necessary steps to set us on the path toward true biosecurity. The fundamental problem with the current approach, according to the authors, is the danger caused by the sheer size and secrecy of our biodefense effort. Thousands of scientists spread throughout hundreds of locations are now working with lethal bioweapons agents—but their inability to make their work public causes suspicion among our enemies and allies alike, even as the enormous number of laboratories greatly multiplies the inherent risk of deadly accidents or theft. Meanwhile, vital public health needs go unmet because of this new biodefense focus. True biosecurity, the authors argue, will require a multipronged effort based in an understanding of the complexity of the issue, guided by scientific ethics, and watched over by a vigilant citizenry attentive to the difference between fear mongering and true analysis of risk. An impassioned warning that never loses sight of political and scientific reality, Breeding Bio Insecurity is a crucial first step toward meeting the evolving threats of the twenty-first century.

Breeding Bio Insecurity: How U.S. Biodefense Is Exporting Fear, Globalizing Risk, and Making Us All Less Secure

History

Sylvester, Edward J.

Klotz, Lynn C.

Military

University of Chicago Press

Describes the work of neurosurgeon Robert Spetzler and his colleagues at Barrow Neurological Institute and the cases of eight patients, illustrative of the accomplishments and limitations of modern neurosurgery. By the author of Target: Cancer. 30,000 first printing. Tour.

The Healing Blade: A Tale of Neurosurgery

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Simon&Schuster

The Healing Blade is a true story. The narrative spans a period of years as the author spends hundreds of days and nights following the neurosurgeons and residents at one of the world's leading neurological institutes as they struggle to save lives, to compete in an ever more difficult medical world, and to learn the innermost secrets of the brain.

Beck Press, Inc.

Just a few short years ago, the outcome of a life-threatening brain injury lay in the hands of the victim's god. Neurologists had a self-mocking term for their role in healing: "Diagnose and adios." While doctors knew more about why and how a brain might die or be permanently impaired, they rarely intervened in brain trauma cases, believing there was little they could do. Today, though, a brave new world of brain rescue is opening up. A handful of hospitals around the country have begun to develop neurological intensive care centers where aggressive new treatments are pulling brain-injured patients back from the brink. Acclaimed science journalist Edward J. Sylvester here takes us to one of the first of these facilities to develop neurointensive care, The Johns Hopkins Medical Centers in Baltimore. Sylvester introduces us to Marek Mirski, the pioneering neurologist who leads the neurointensive team, and follows Mirski into the very center of the brain trauma storm through five dramatic and very different cases. Sylvester also takes us on a whirlwind side trip to New York's Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where Mirksi's compatriot Dr. Stephan Mayer—the founding neurointensivist—struggles for the life of yet another patient. A vivid, elegant writer, Sylvester has filled his book with unforgettable and fascinating events. His descriptions of the maelstrom in the traumatized brain are some of the most powerful ever put to paper, and the human faces in his cast of characters are almost clear enough to touch. Back from the Brink combines the best of medical journalism with the drama of ER as it covers some of the most innovative developments and exotic territory in modern medicine.

Back from the Brink: How Crises Spur Doctors to New Discoveries about the Brain

Medical Books

Medicine

Dana Press

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Books by Sylvester, Edward J.