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A review by dajna
The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery by D.T. Max
4.0
Starting in the Veneto of 1700, D. T. Max takes us through the history of prion diseases. And it's an awful ride, let me tell you.
I lived through the Mad Cow epidemic of the '90s, and I knew about Kuru, but my interest sparked when I saw a video on YouTube about the italian family cursed by the fatal familial insomnia. These defective proteins are scary AF, and a terrible death sentence.
Every time I read something like this I stop to reflect how complex and fragile we humans are. What we consider a normal life is actually one of the biggest lottery winnings we could hope for.
I lived through the Mad Cow epidemic of the '90s, and I knew about Kuru, but my interest sparked when I saw a video on YouTube about the italian family cursed by the fatal familial insomnia. These defective proteins are scary AF, and a terrible death sentence.
Every time I read something like this I stop to reflect how complex and fragile we humans are. What we consider a normal life is actually one of the biggest lottery winnings we could hope for.