D Ethel Hume

I edited this book and published it, so giving it an objective review is a bit tricky -- well, it's impossible. What I can say about what works about this book though: 1) the basic premise and subject matter is excellent, and will be relevant to anyone interested in the history of biology 2) it gives a wonderful insight into the germ theory, and just how thin are its foundations. The book was originally published in the 1920s, so the English was outdated, and the layout of the only available editions was very poor by today's standards -- those were the days when quotes were hidden inside paragraphs, and paragraphs themselves could be pages long. So editing the text was a big job, but the result has been worth it. We now have a detailed, impeccably referenced (by the author, not me) chronicle of Antoine Bechamp and his work. We also, as it happens, have a well-documented work which rips the scab off Pasteur and exposes him for the snakeoil salesman he was.… (altro)