This Zoonotic World

Abstract

“What I love about my work … is that it gives me the privilege of spending time with people whose jobs are so interesting, whose work is so important, whose brains and bodies are so tough. I've said it before … but some people, you know, admire medical missionaries, firemen, astronauts. I admire field biologists.” “I have a great job because I get to call up some of these scientists and say ‘Hey, can I come talk to you or, better still, can I go to the central African forest with you?’ And frequently they say: ‘Well, all right, yes.’ So that's a kid in a candy store…” “What experts think of my book is also very important to me. If you're nodding as opposed to shaking your heads … it's very gratifying.” (David Quammen, 2013) Pale Horse. Thirteen Gorillas. Dinner at the Rat Farm. Going Viral. Chapter titles like these are hard to resist. So here's a confession: I was first drawn to “Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic” by its language and story-craft. Then I discovered its eclectic mix of history, ecology, research, and yes, even math–plus its frank, conversational voice. At that point, I was hooked. After David Quammen's latest book was published last fall, New York Times critic Charles McGrath penned his own panegyric entitled: “The Subject is Science, the Style is Faulkner.” McGrath was referring to Quammen's early days as an English major and a Rhodes Scholar, when the aspiring author immersed himself in Faulkner. Soon, Quammen had published four novels. Then came his shift to non-fiction which, he realized, could be “wondrous and imaginative, shapely and literary … [not just] explanatory.” Quammen moved to Montana and wrote a long-running column for Outside magazine followed by regular features for National Geographic and other periodicals. Today, his bibliography includes 10 science books, including “Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions” (1996), “Monster of God: The Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind” (2003), and “The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution” (2006). Earlier this year, I spent an hour talking with David Quammen. In a moment, I'll share excerpts from our conversation. But first, meet “Spillover.”