The Fourth Horseman (edition 1993)

by Andrew Nikiforuk

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97	2	279,154	(3.33)	3
Over the last 530 million years there have been five mass extinctions of species-the last,65 million years ago,when the dinosaurs disappeared.The biodiversity of our planet may now be on the verge,Leakey and Lewin believe,of a sixth extinction,caused this time by the relentless expansion and limitless appetites of human beings. The new science of 'biodiversity',presented clearly and cogently by Leakey and Lewin,combines insights from palaeontology,biology,ecology and even economics.It integrates the role of Darwenian evolution with the increasingly recognised importance of external and unpredictable forces.… (more)

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Member:	Yells
Title:	The Fourth Horseman
Authors:	Andrew Nikiforuk
Info:	Viking/Allen Lane (1993), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 200 pages
Collections:	Read before 2011, Read but unowned
Rating:
Tags:	READ 2014 and Prior

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The Fourth Horseman: A Short History of Epidemics, Plagues, Famine and Other Scourges by Andrew Nikiforuk

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So-so read. Yes, white guilt, we're all bad, etc. etc. Some good stuff on how epidemic disease works. A journalistic work on a serious subject, with some ideology thrown in. Whatever. (

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RobertP | Sep 7, 2012 |

Excellent historical overview to disaster, horror and mass death. Fortunately, Nikiforuk isn't morbid or lacking a funny bone so the book is a quick and fascinating read. (

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CliffBurns | Nov 23, 2008 |

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Andrew Nikiforuk

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Over the last 530 million years there have been five mass extinctions of species-the last,65 million years ago,when the dinosaurs disappeared.The biodiversity of our planet may now be on the verge,Leakey and Lewin believe,of a sixth extinction,caused this time by the relentless expansion and limitless appetites of human beings. The new science of 'biodiversity',presented clearly and cogently by Leakey and Lewin,combines insights from palaeontology,biology,ecology and even economics.It integrates the role of Darwenian evolution with the increasingly recognised importance of external and unpredictable forces.

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The author shows how feeble mankind's attempts to subdue the "super organism" of bacterial life has been. He reviews the great levelers: malaria, leprosy, the Black Death, the plague, syphilis, small pox, tuberculosis, flu and Aids. The author puts forward the controversial view that conquering HIV does not necessarily mean the conquering of Aids and AZT is as dangerous and unsuccessful a "cure" as mercury was for syphilis in the 18th century.

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