Matt McCarthy
Superbugs
International Bestseller
"An amazing, informative book that changes our perspective on medicine, microbes and our future."
--Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor of All Maladies
A New York Times bestselling author shares this exhilarating story of cutting-edge science and the race against the clock to find new treatments in the fight against the antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as superbugs.
Physician, researcher, and ethics professor Matt McCarthy is on the front lines of a groundbreaking clinical trial testing a new antibiotic to fight lethal superbugs, bacteria that have built up resistance to the life-saving drugs in our rapidly dwindling arsenal. This trial serves as the backdrop for the compulsively readable Superbugs, and the results will impact nothing less than the future of humanity.
Dr. McCarthy explores the history of bacteria and antibiotics, from Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin, to obscure sources of innovative new medicines (often found in soil samples), to the cutting-edge DNA manipulation known as CRISPR, bringing to light how we arrived at this juncture of both incredible breakthrough and extreme vulnerability. We also meet the patients whose lives are hanging in the balance, from Remy, a teenager with a dangerous and rare infection, to Donny, a retired New York City firefighter with a compromised immune system, and many more.
The proverbial ticking clock will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Can Dr. McCarthy save the lives of his patients infected with the deadly bacteria, who have otherwise lost all hope?
Other Books by Dr. Matt McCarthy
The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly
A scorchingly frank look at how doctors are made, bringing readers into the critical care unit to see one burgeoning physician's journey from ineptitude to competence.
Odd Man Out
Hailed by critics as one of the great books about baseball, Odd Man Out captures the gritty essence of our national pastime as it is played outside the spotlight.
About Dr. Matt McCarthy
Photo: © Nina Subin
MATT MCCARTHY is the author of two national bestsellers, The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly and Odd Man Out. He is an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell and a staff physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where he serves on the Ethics Committee. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Slate, The New England Journal of Medicine, and Deadspin. He reviews nonfiction for USA Today and is editor-in-chief of Current Fungal Infection Reports.
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Research & Writing
For information on Dr. McCarthy’s research, please visit NCBI.
Articles and Columns
The New York Times: Op-Ed: The Scary Shortage of Infectious-Disease Doctors, Op-Ed: What Superbug Hunters Know That We Don’t
Slate
Medspin
Sports Illustrated
The Atlantic
Stat
Reuters
Book Reviews for USA Today
A Book about Love by Jonah Lehrer
Bellevue by David Oshinsky
Blitzed by Norman Ohler
Ripper by Patricia Cornwell
Between Them by Richard Ford
The Bright Hour by Nina Riggs
Why? By Mario Livio
Blue Dreams by Lauren Slater
You Can Stop Humming Now by Daniela Lamas
The Recovering by Leslie Jamison
How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
Dopesick by Beth Macy
Influenza by Jeremy Brown
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Black Man in a White Coat by Damon Tweedy
My Father, The Pornographer by Chris Offutt
The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Contact
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