Between Hope and Fear

April 23, 2018
Kinch (A Prescription for Change), director of the Center for Research Innovation in Biotechnology at Washington University in St. Louis, studiously chronicles some of the worst disease outbreaks in human history and the development of the vaccines that stanched the tide of suffering. He traces the trail of smallpox from its early days as the “Antonine Plague” in ancient Rome, through the arrival of the Spanish in the New World, to the eventual development of the smallpox vaccine by Edward Jenner in 1796. He recalls the development of the drug AZT, used to treat HIV and AIDS, by a band of scientists with Nobel Prize–winning biochemist Gertrude “Trudie” Elion at the helm, and details the nationalist rivalry between Louis Pasteur and German microbiologist Robert Koch. Kinch also gives accessible science lessons in immune-activating interferons, how the T cells and B cells function in the human immune system, and the different problems in treating bacterial and viral infections. Kinch’s main purpose, however, is to warn against the dangers of the antivaccine movement, “fringe elements in the public” who believe in discredited links between various vaccines and autism. Kinch’s argument in favor of reason and science over fear and charlatanism is cogent and well-researched, presenting a large-scale chronological narrative of disease and prevention. Agent: Don Fehr, Trident Media Group.

May 15, 2018
A comprehensive history of the science of vaccination.Next to clean water, vaccines are the greatest lifesaver in modern society, so readers of this admirable account will thrill to stories of the conquest of historical plagues (smallpox, diphtheria, polio) and research into preventing today's deadly infections (AIDS, tuberculosis, dengue, Ebola). Biting off more than many writers could chew, Kinch (Pharmacology/Washington Univ.; A Prescription for Change: The Looming Crisis in Drug Development, 2016) adds a fine history of the evolution of life, emphasizing the development and operation of the immune system. And there's more. At regular intervals, the author returns to a subject of intense interest to a small group that will likely not buy his book: opponents of vaccination. Although much in the news, they have existed since the beginning, and their reasons have only one thread in common: All are wrong. "The volume and advocacy of false facts by an obnoxious and loud minority has overwhelmed the fact-based attempts by credible sources to expound the extraordinary health benefits of vaccination," writes Kinch. "Unfortunately, the scientific community has largely demurred from confronting these loud disagreements." Partly through their efforts, American smallpox deaths rose during the 19th century after the introduction of vaccination. It was the law that turned the tide. Beginning in 1905, court decisions affirmed that compulsory vaccination, like water chlorination, is a legitimate government public health function. Courts--not the facts--remain the American anti-vaccine movement's most effective opponent. Like evidence that the Earth is not flat or that Elvis is dead, careful studies showing that vaccines save lives rarely convince true believers and bore many who have not taken up the cause, but readers who persist will be rewarded with a riveting chronicle of one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of medical science.A useful book that effectively "conveys the challenges posed by infectious disease and relates a story of unparalleled successes in vaccines that have raised both the quality and quantity of life for all people."

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June 1, 2018

Kinch (radiation oncology, Washington Univ.; director, Ctr. for Research Innovation in Business; Prescription for Change), ostensibly writing to refute the dangerous rise of antivaccinators, provides readers with an interdisciplinary cornucopia of meticulously researched information on the intersection of history, disease, and vaccine invention. Beginning with a detailed account of the devastation of smallpox over time (particularly horrific highlights include the ancient Roman battlefields and the decimation of Native peoples in the Americas during the 16th century), Kinch winds his way through history, science, and public policy. Readers learn about the early days of variolation and vaccination, as well as how immunity actually works in the body. Additionally, an accounting of the discovery of bacteria and viruses, as well as significant breakthroughs in vaccine intervention, are described. The factually dense writing is often humorous and chock-full of engaging ancillary information providing a wealth of background and a remarkable synthesis of material. VERDICT Recommended for scientists and medical professionals but also for readers curious about the history of disease and our efforts at understanding and prevention.--Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's Sch., Brooklyn

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2018
The benefits of vaccines are colossal, and claims that they can cause autism are absolutely false. Roughly two centuries after the introduction of a vaccine for smallpox, that horrific contagion has been eradicated. A study on the safety of the pertussis vaccine commissioned by President Ronald Reagan reported: Next to clean water, no single intervention has had so profound an effect on reducing mortality from childhood diseases as had the widespread introduction of vaccines. Much of the anti-vaccinator hubbub stems from a fraudulent claim made by a British doctor in 1998 that the MMR vaccine was linked to developmental disorders. He later confessed to his deception, and the charlatan had his medical license confiscated. Immunologist Kinch reviews the history of various infectious diseases, how vaccines work and their efficacy, relevant biomedical research, and the personalities who played pivotal roles in this field. Adversaries of vaccination have their reasons (religious beliefs, vulnerability to propaganda), but science is not on their side. Vaccines don't trigger autism, while pathogenic microbes and ignorance can wreak havoc and result in countless unnecessary deaths.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)