The story of rats : their impact on us, and our impact on them

I read this book back when I was working at a bookstore and had just started dating a girl that kept pet rats. I had never been around them before and thought it would be a good idea to learn more about rat care; this is not a book about rat care. It is, however, a wonderful book about rats and how they live and coexist with humans. Through a combination of personal stories and research, the author covers many of the highlights of rodent human interactions. Where they probably came from, how they spread, how they are similar and different to humans, etc. To me the most interesting stories were about how their curiosity often makes them unsuited (uncooperative) to training experiments, and how their social structure helps them to survive capture and poisoning. Neat book. Part title......Page 1 Title page......Page 3 CONTENTS......Page 7 ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 10 PREFACE......Page 12 PART I HISTORIES......Page 15 Mud fever......Page 38 How not to handle wild rats......Page 40 Plague......Page 41 The Black Death......Page 43 Public health......Page 50 Yersinia pestis......Page 53 Modern plague......Page 55 New viruses......Page 58 1 TALES OF RATS......Page 17 Abominations and horrors......Page 19 Magic, sport and nourishment......Page 22 The names of the species......Page 28 Conflict between species......Page 31 Taming and domestication......Page 35 PART II QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS......Page 65 4 A BATTLE OF WITS?......Page 67 What do rats really do?......Page 68 Neophobia: Can curiosity kill the rat?......Page 70 Neophilia and natural selection......Page 72 5 DO RATS THINK?......Page 78 Students in mazes: a detour......Page 81 Patrolling and sampling......Page 82 Mechanistic psychology......Page 85 Do rats get bored?......Page 91 Playing to learn......Page 92 The question of thinking......Page 95 Are people ever like rats......Page 97 The tree of knowledge......Page 99 Thought about thought......Page 102 6 ARE RATS GLUTTONS?......Page 105 Selecting from a menu......Page 106 Consuming passions......Page 111 Poison shyness......Page 112 Psychologists develop an aversion......Page 115 A clinical contribution......Page 117 Social feeding: Black rats in pine forests......Page 119 Social feeding: White rats in cages......Page 120 Early learning......Page 125 Learning: limited and unlimited......Page 127 7 ALL IN THEIR GENES?......Page 129 Some unnatural selection......Page 130 Petted rats......Page 133 Are rats Darwinian?......Page 136 8 RAT SOCIETIES......Page 142 Social signals: the show of violence......Page 143 Close encounters......Page 150 Assault with battery......Page 151 Rat slaughter......Page 153 A diversity of species......Page 156 PART III THE BLINDNESS OF RESEARCH......Page 161 9 POPULATION EXPLOSIONS......Page 163 Density dependence......Page 165 Underground warfare......Page 167 Awkward questions......Page 170 Rice rats and the economic threshold......Page 172 Social sedation versus social stress......Page 173 10 SOCIAL LIFE AND DEATH......Page 178 The search for instability......Page 179 More social stress......Page 181 Is DUO Darwinian?......Page 185 11 NATURE AND HUMAN NATURE......Page 187 GLOSSARY......Page 191 NOTES ON SOURCES......Page 200 REFERENCES......Page 202 INDEX......Page 210 Tells how rats and humans have lived together and interacted throughout history.'Mr Speaker, I smell a rat; I see him forming in the air and darkening the sky; but I'll nip him in the bud.'An English Member of ParliamentAre rats still a threat to our health and food? Do they think? Is it true that wild rats sometimes die, unwounded, from social stress? Can studies of rat societies tell us anything useful about our own social lives?Love them or loathe them, everyone has a rat story. Throughout history vast numbers of rats of many species have shared our space, our food and our diseases; and they continue to do so.Yet The Story of Rats is more than a tale about how people and rats live together. It is about science and scientists, the problems they solve and fail to solve, and the scope and imperfections of our scientific knowledge of the world. It is a book for those who love rats or fear them; for the curious, the science literate and non-literate alike.Early in the Second World War, equipped only with firs class honours from Oxford University, Tony Barnett was drafted, not into the trenches (there weren't any), but into the sewers, wharves, food stores and other rat-infested environments offered by a London bombed nightly by the Luftwaffe. Thus began his interest in rats and his academic career in Scotland, India, Australia and North America. He is now Emeritus Professor of Zoology in the Australian National University. Are Rats Still A Threat To Our Health And Food? Do They Think? Is It True That Wild Rats Sometimes Die, Unwounded, From Social Stress? Can Studies Of Rat Societies Tell Us Anything Useful About Our Own Social Lives? Love Them Or Loathe Them, Everyone Has A Rat Story. Throughout History Vast Numbers Of Rats Of Many Species Have Shared Our Space, Our Food And Our Diseases And They Continue To Do So. Yet The Story Of Rats Is More Than A Tale About How People And Rats Live Together. It Is About Science And Scientists, The Problems They Solve And Fail To Solve, And The Scope And Imperfections Of Our Scientific Knowledge Of The World. It Is A Book For Those Who Love Rats Or Fear Them: For The Curious, The Science Literate And Non-literate Alike.--jacket. 1. Tales Of Rats -- 2. Naming And Taming -- 3. All Fall Down -- 4. A Battle Of Wits -- 5. Do Rats Think -- 6. Are Rats Gluttons -- 7. All In Their Genes -- 8. Rat Societies -- 9. Population Explosions -- 10. Social Life And Death -- 11. Nature And Human Nature. S. Anthony Barnett. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 188-195) And Index. More than the story of how people and rats live together, this book takes a serious and intriguing look at science and scientists, the problems they solve and fail to solve, and the scope and imperfections of our scientific knowledge of the world. It answers questions such as: Are rats still a threat to human health? Do rats think? Is it true that wild rats sometimes die, unwounded, from social stress? Can studies of rat societies tell us anything useful about our own social lives? This compelling historical and social study will capture the interest of all readers-from those fascinated by rats to those who cringe-by explaining the delicate and sometimes volatile impacts humans and rats have had on each other over the centuries and into the modern age. Explores how rats and humans have lived together and interacted throughout history. Rats are intelligent and sociable animals. They have many similarities with us. Why is it then that the mere mention of the word "rat" sends shudders of horror through most of us?