SKU: 58793038405

The Vaccine Race: Science, Politics, and the Human Costs of Defeating Disease

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The Vaccine Race: Science, Politics, and the Human Costs of Defeating Disease"Riveting . . . The Vaccine Race] invites comparison with Rebecca Skloot's 2007 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." Nature "This is a story about the war against disease a war without end and the development of enormously important vaccines, but in telling that story, in showing how science works, Meredith Wadman reveals much more. I loved this book." John M. Barry, New York Times bestselling author of The Great Influenza The epic and controversial

"Riveting . . . The Vaccine Race] invites comparison with Rebecca Skloot's 2007 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks."--Nature

"This is a story about the war against disease--a war without end--and the development of enormously important vaccines, but in telling that story, in showing how science works, Meredith Wadman reveals much more. I loved this book."
--John M. Barry, New York Times bestselling author of The Great Influenza

The epic and controversial story of a major breakthrough in cell biology that led to the conquest of rubella and other devastating diseases.

Until the late 1960s, tens of thousands of American children suffered crippling birth defects if their mothers had been exposed to rubella, popularly known as German measles, while pregnant; there was no vaccine and little understanding of how the disease devastated fetuses. In June 1962, a young biologist in Philadelphia, using tissue extracted from an aborted fetus from Sweden, produced safe, clean cells that allowed the creation of vaccines against rubella and other common childhood diseases. Two years later, in the midst of a devastating German measles epidemic, his colleague developed the vaccine that would one day wipe out homegrown rubella. The rubella vaccine and others made with those fetal cells have protected more than 150 million people in the United States, the vast majority of them preschoolers. The new cells and the method of making them also led to vaccines that have protected billions of people around the world from polio, rabies, chicken pox, measles, hepatitis A, shingles and adenovirus.

Meredith Wadman's masterful account recovers not only the science of this urgent race, but also the political roadblocks that nearly stopped the scientists. She describes the terrible dilemmas of pregnant women exposed to German measles and recounts testing on infants, prisoners, orphans, and the intellectually disabled, which was common in the era. These events take place at the dawn of the battle over using human fetal tissue in research, during the arrival of big commerce in campus labs, and as huge changes take place in the laws and practices governing who "owns" research cells and the profits made from biological inventions. It is also the story of yet one more unrecognized woman whose cells have been used to save countless lives.

With another frightening virus imperiling pregnant women on the rise today, no medical story could have more human drama, impact, or urgency today than The Vaccine Race.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 09/04/2018
ISBN: 9780143111313
Pages: 464
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.40w x 1.10d
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SKU: 58793038405

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PWDecker
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 4
Luke and Doctor Aphra team up!
Format: Paperback
This is the second crossover event in the Marvel Star Wars comics. It brings the ongoing Doctor Aphra and Star Wars series together. I liked the pairing of Luke with Aphra. They play well off of each other with Luke's naive goodness and Aphra's experienced gray morality. I liked when she called him a wannabe padawan. There are some well designed characters in this comic. The residents of the Screaming Citadel have a goth bdsm vibe. Luke even gets to dress up. I liked seeing him in something different. I want to know more about Sana and Aphra's past!!! Please, Marvel, make a queer love story prequel!!! The murder droids are wonderful. Having them on the same side as the "good guys" for at least the time being led to some funny situations. The last panel intrigued me. I give this graphic novel a 4/5. I am always here for more Doctor Aphra!
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Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2017
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Kindle Customer
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 5
Excellent mini series.
Format: Kindle
This is an excellent follow up to Vader Down. Luke Skywalker and friends take on a bigger threat than The Empire and Darth Vader that is connected to the Jedi. Luke and Dr. Aphra join forces to find the answers Like is seeking. Truly worth reading and entertaining.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2019
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Beantown857
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 5
Lobo is a beast.
Format: Paperback
Always as one.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2025
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Amazon Customer
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
Great Ride
Format: Paperback
Great and Fun story for seasoned and new fans of Justice League!
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Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2025
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Ofthemountain
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
Accessible JL book from the Zdarsky dude.
Format: Kindle
Enjoyed it. A fun read and self contained story. No need for dozens of in-continuity mumbo jumbo. Haven't read any justice league in quite a while and enjoyed it enough to finish in a single read.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2025

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