Our Bodies, Our Planet - A Parasite’s History of Us

An eye-opening account of parasitism, fundamental to life and human history.

Parasites and parasitic relationships are fundamental to life on Earth and to human history. Our Bodies, Our Planet explores how vital they are. Unlike harmful pathogens, parasites may produce no ill effects and may even improve our well-being and the lives of the creatures that surround us. Marcus Hall shows how our fellow travellers have evolved to help keep us alive, else they themselves will perish.

Parasitism is a phenomenon of partnership, and the association of parasite and host has had far-ranging cultural, biological and possibly geophysical consequences. From Ascaris to Zika, we are instinctively repulsed by these little freeloaders, but what collateral effects do they have on our lives, lifestyles and imaginations? As Hall demonstrates, we disregard our parasites at our peril.

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Praise:

"The thought of parasites usually evokes a powerful reaction of repugnance. Yet Hall puts a positive spin on this group of biological freeloaders that comprises more than half of all species of life on Earth. Acknowledging that many parasites are pathogens (causing disease in humans, wildlife, plants, and crops), he points out that numerous others function as collaborators or benefactors to their hosts in relationships known as mutualism." - Booklist

"Marcus Hall takes readers on an illuminating historical tour of the human microbiome, arguing that we should consider extending the conservationist agenda to the many parasites that call us home. The most thought-provoking book I’ve read in ages." - J. R. McNeill, author of The Webs of Humankind and Something New Under the Sun

"This book will change everything you thought you knew about parasites. Hall takes us on an exhilarating journey, upending preconceptions and accepted wisdom, and encouraging us to embrace our inner parasites." - Nicole Boivin, Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology

"Marcus Hall’s book broadens our view of world health by its laser focus on parasites as a collective protagonist. And more so this book highlights the historical ecology of parasites as a category of the study of affliction. An excellent and challenging book." - James C. McCann, Boston University