Richard Preston's The Demon in the Freezer is the layman's guide to understanding the latest developments in the field of epidemiology. He outlines the major advancements in research, developments in bio-weaponry, and debates regarding ethics. Rather than assuming his reader possess prior knowledge of virology, Preston explains the delicate interaction of disease with the healthy rhythms of nature. Viruses are essential to the preservation of life, as paradoxical as that statement may seem. Rather than dismissing them altogether as harmful and destructive, Preston explains how research in the field continues to yield interesting results -- potential for military developments as well as a more complex understanding of preventative measures against the spread of infectious diseases.
Presented in a series of vignettes, Preston's outline of epidemiology interweaves history, science, and politics into one dramatic account of the consequences of infectious disease in everyday life. He describes the ever-changing ethical debates about the study and preservation of these diseases as well as their highly contested potential as biological weapons. Although none of the stories are particularly comforting, Preston is doing a service for his audience by making an otherwise inaccessible field more commonly understandable.
