How the Cows Turned Mad : Unlocking the Mysteries of Mad Cow Disease

Fear of mad cow disease, a lethal illness transmitted from infected beef to humans, has spread from Europe to the United States and around the world. Originally published to much acclaim in France, this scientific thriller, available in English for the first time and updated with a new chapter on developments in 2001, tells of the hunt for the cause of an enigmatic class of fatal brain infections, of which mad cow disease is the latest incarnation. In gripping, nontechnical prose, Maxime Schwartz details the deadly manifestations of these diseases throughout history, describes the major players and events that led to discoveries about their true nature, and outlines our current state of knowledge. The book concludes by addressing the question we all want answered: should we be afraid? The story begins in the eighteenth century with the identification of a mysterious illness called scrapie that was killing British sheep. It was not until the 1960s that scientists understood that several animal and human diseases, including scrapie, were identical, and together identified them as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). The various guises assumed throughout history by TSE include an illness called kuru in a cannibalistic tribe in Papua New Guinea, an infectious disease that killed a group of children who had been treated for growth hormone deficiencies, and mad cow disease. Revealing the fascinating process of scientific discovery that led to our knowledge of TSE, Schwartz relates pivotal events in the history of biology, including the Pasteurian revolution, the birth of genetics, the emergence of molecular biology, and the latest developments in biotechnology. He also explains the Nobel Prize-winning prion hypothesis, which has rewritten the rules of biological heredity and is a key link between the distinctive diseases of TSE. Up-to-date, informative, and thoroughly captivating, How the Cows Turned Mad tells the story of a disease that continues to elude on many levels. Yet science has come far in understanding its origins, incubation, and transmission. This authoritative book is a stunning case history that illuminates the remarkable progression of science. PROLOGUE......Page 10 1 THE SHEEP ARE STRANGELY DIZZY......Page 13 2 MOLECULES AND MICROBES......Page 22 3 MAD DOGS AND EARTHWORMS......Page 27 4 SCRAPIE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE......Page 33 5 CREUTZFELDT, JAKOB, AND OTHERS......Page 40 6 SCRAPIE IS INOCULABLE......Page 47 7 AND GOAT S , AND MICE......Page 54 8 SCRAPIE IS CONTAGIOUS......Page 60 9 KURU AND THE FORE PEOPLE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA......Page 67 10 THE WALL COMES DOWN......Page 76 11 FROM PEARL NECKLACE TO DOUBLE HELIX......Page 82 12 THE PHANTOM VIRUS......Page 90 13 A TRAGEDY IN THE MAKING......Page 96 14 ONE CASE PER MILLION......Page 102 15 PRIONS......Page 107 16 APRIL 1985......Page 113 17 THE “KISS OF DEATH”......Page 119 18 THE RETURN OF THE SPONTANEISTS......Page 128 19 TO GROW—AND TO DIE......Page 137 20 LESSONS LEARNED......Page 145 21 HAVE THE COWS GONE MAD?......Page 151 22 FROM COWS TO HUMANS......Page 162 23 FROM COWS TO SHEEP? FROM HUMANS TO HUMANS?......Page 172 24 THE SECRET IN THE CLOSET......Page 178 25 UNMASKING “THE DISEASE”......Page 185 26 HAVE WE CONQUERED “THE DISEASE”?......Page 189 27 2001......Page 193 EPILOGUE......Page 208 NOTES......Page 214 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 224 CHRONOLOGY......Page 226 INDEX......Page 236 Sheep are strangely dizzy Molecules and microbes Mad dogs and earthworms Scrapie under the microscope Creutzfeldt, Jakob, and others Scrapie is inoculable And goats, and mice Scrapie is contagious Kuru and the Fore people of Papua New Guinea Wall comes down From pearl necklace to double helix Phantom virus Tragedy in the making One case per million Prions April 1985 "Kiss of death" Return of the spontaneists To grow : and to die Lessons learned Have the cows gone mad? From cows to humans From cows to sheep? From humans to humans? Secret in the closet Unmasking "the disease"? Have we conquered "the disease?" 2001. A gripping biological detective story that traces the history of mad cow disease and related infectious brain disease of livestock and people. The book also illustrates dramatically how scientific progress unfolds as researchers in various countries pursue new ideas and leads in order to identify the cause of and relationship between these enigmatic diseases. This scientific thriller tells of the hunt for the cause of an enigmatic class of fatal brain infections, including mad cow disease. In nontechnical prose, Maxime Schwartz details the deadly manifestations of these diseases throughout history. He concludes with the question: should we be afraid? A history of the prion diseases, or subacute spongiform encephalopathies, features a historical perspective beginning with scrapie in 17th-century England to recent concerns in France about the spread of bovine spongiform. The author documents his two century plus detective story provides a thorough - going history of the discovery of "Mad Cow" and related diseases that also illuminates the ways in which science works. A fascinating read! THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, which was to conclude with the American and French Revolutions, was also the Age of Enlightenment.