Fearsome Fauna: A Field Guide to the Creatures that Live In You, by Roger M. Knutson. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York. 1999. 123 p. Softcover $9.95, ISBN 0-7167-3386-2
This lighthearted account of the endoparasites of humans continues the author's series of off-beat looks (“Flattened Fauna: a Field Guide to Common Animals of Roads, Streets, and Highways” and “Furtive Fauna: a Field Guide to the Creatures that Live On You”) at topics the general public has always wanted to know about, but was afraid to ask. Written in a folksy style, with heavy emphasis on analogy as opposed to scientific terminology, this book essentially presents a short course in human parasitology for the general public.
The first 6 chapters deal with general topics, such as the origin and evolution of parasitism, parasites vs. diseases, and the major types of endoparasites. The next 8 chapters discuss most of the...