No Title
Shalini Sen
A GERM OF AN IDEA: MICROBES, US AND THE MICROBES WITHIN US by Charudatta Navare. Illustrated by Reshma Barve Pratham, 2021, 42 pp., 95.00
November 2021, volume 45, No 11

They say never judge a book by its cover. Wise words but the title on the cover of a book definitely gives the reader a good reason to give it a second look…or not! And this title grabs attention immediately! The strength of this book is the choice of the topic. It is extremely relevant for people spanning a wide age group. It speaks of microbes coexisting with us, a fact that is certainly not new but it describes the width and depth of our interaction with microbes which is not so well known to most people, barring the experts. The author ensures that the reader is well aware that microbes are omnipresent, are too small to be seen with the naked eye which is why their discovery awaited the invention of the earliest microscope. He stresses on the fact that they reside in overwhelming numbers in our bodies in various organs including our skin.

Terms like microbiota and microbiome find constant mention and deservedly so because on them rests the foundation of this narrative. The segment on the Hadza tribe is enlightening, the fact that the people of a tribe as yet untouched by civilization, have unique digestive abilities quite similar to those of ruminants, due to their solely plant based diet. Not many of us know that microbes are far more useful than they are harmful. The reader learns that the composition of the microbial community that resides in our gut decides many outcomes, for instance our response to medicines. What maybe a harmless over-the-counter drug for some people may well be dangerous for others. The composition of the gut microbiota can say a lot about a person: whether lean or fat, happy or sad! So what lives within our guts may well decide our health report card.

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