Superbugs: The Race to Stop an Epidemic
Scribe Publications RRP $32.99
MOSTLY HEART-BREAKING, but at times laughout-loud funny, Superbugs: The Race to Stop an Epidemic is an emotional read that will make you appreciate the fragility of our current foothold in the war against the epidemic of antibiotic resistance.
Layered with details that bring earlier players to life, Matt McCarthy’s work intertwines historical narratives of pharmaceutical discovery and tragic human experimentation with the currently arduous drug discovery and clinical testing processes that exist partly as a necessary consequence.
It is an exposé of the market incentives and structures that shape pharmaceutical discovery, development and use, covering important issues such as equitable access to pharmaceuticals and the importance – yet infeasibility – of diverse and inclusive trials.
Superbugs includes emotional stories of individual patients’ journeys, and the professional challenges and successes of McCarthy and his colleagues. The most notable of these colleagues is his mentor, Tom Walsh: McCarthy’s respect and
admiration shine through across the book, and it is clear they make a formidable team.
More broadly, the book also humanises those struggling against the “glacial pace of clinical research” in a field where urgency can be a matter of life and death, with early setbacks and challenges setting the tone for a final, familial one much closer to McCarthy’s heart.
The book reads easily, and although the text, due to its topic area, is at times peppered with complex-sounding drug names, McCarthy largely makes all concepts understandable with simple, concise explanations and analogies in a way that those without a science background will find accessible.
Where appropriate, he even brings a lighter touch – in the form of a sporting metaphor or pop culture reference – that acts as a palate cleanser for otherwise heavy subject matter.
Superbugs is an immersive and educational read that combines feelings of futility with a sense of hope at just the right moments.