So Very Small

The centuries-long quest to discover the critical role of germs in disease reveals as much about human reasoning—and the pitfalls of ego—as it does about microbes.

“Essential reading . . . Thomas Levenson brings to brilliant life the social history of medical detective work and illuminates the fascinating world of pathogenic microbes.”—Deborah Blum, New York Times bestselling author of The Poison Squad

Scientists and enthusiastic amateurs first confirmed the existence of living things invisible to the human eye in the late seventeenth century. So why did it take two centuries to connect microbes to disease? As late as the Civil War in the 1860s, most soldiers who perished died not on the battlefield but of infected wounds, typhoid, and other diseases. Twenty years later, the outcome might have been different, following one of the most radical intellectual transformations in history: germ theory, the recognition that the tiniest forms of life have been humankind’s greatest killers. It was a discovery centuries in the making, and it transformed modern life and public health.

As Thomas Levenson reveals in this globe-spanning history, it has everything to do with how we see ourselves. For centuries, people in the West, believing themselves to hold God-given dominion over nature, thought too much of humanity and too little of microbes to believe they could take us down. When nineteenth-century scientists finally made the connection, life-saving methods to control infections and contain outbreaks soon followed. The next big break came with the birth of the antibiotic era in the 1930s. And yet, less than a century later, the promise of the antibiotic revolution is already receding due to years of overuse. Is our self-confidence getting the better of us again?

So Very Small follows the thread of human ingenuity and hubris across centuries—along the way peering into microscopes, spelunking down sewers, visiting army hospitals, traipsing across sheep fields, and more—to show how we came to understand the microbial environment and how little we understand ourselves. Levenson traces how and why ideas are pursued, accepted, or ignored—and hence how human habits of mind can, so often, make it terribly hard to ask the right questions.

“So Very Small is the wonderfully intimate and intertwined story of how humans discovered microbes and learned to tame them. Levenson is a master storyteller, and his latest book reads like an epic novel, spanning centuries, continents, and microbial calamities. It offers a compelling story of how microbes have influenced society, seamlessly intertwined with fascinating historical events, while vividly bringing the characters and scientific discoveries to life.”—Alanna Collen, author of 10% Human

“In So Very Small, Thomas Levenson brings to brilliant life the social history of medical detective work, notably the long quest to understand and to combat infectious disease. In doing so he illuminates the fascinating world of pathogenic microbes, the often unexpected ways we’ve achieved protection, and the often self-destructive ways we’ve undermined—and continue to undermine—our own public health successes. In a world where the next pandemic waits ahead, this is essential reading.”—Deborah Blum, New York Times bestselling author of The Poison Squad

“A penetrating chronicle of humanity’s fight against microorganisms . . . Buoyed by the author’s lucid prose, this is a first-rate work of popular science.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Every page is fascinating; every detail on this amazing journey through history affects our daily lives: the story of how humans discovered microbes and germs and created the world we know today. Never has science been so compelling, exciting and accessible as it is in the hands of Thomas Levenson. . . . Brilliant!”—Simon Sebag Montefiore, New York Times bestselling author of The World

“So Very Small is very large and fascinating. Thomas Levenson expertly combines storytelling and big questions, most notably: Why not? Why wasn’t the germ theory of disease formulated 200 years earlier? Why, in general, are huge scientific discoveries delayed until they happen? This is exactly the sort of book that a literate citizen, keenly interested in science, reads for enlightenment, perspective, and fun.”—David Quammen, New York Times bestselling author of Breathless

“How can a book about small things be so enormously entertaining? Levenson’s command of narrative and eminently readable style zooms us effortlessly between two realms to tell the story of humanity’s relationship with the microcosmos—a drama tracing back to long before we knew the microcosmos existed. Both an opus and a page-turner, So Very Small is a work of grand-scale ambition, elegantly achieved.”—Jason Roberts, author of Every Living Thing and A Sense of the World

“By peering through the lens of the modern germ theory, and our protracted battle with disease, Levenson has crafted a vivid, engaging, and timely reminder that we are not as omnipotent nor as clever as we often believe ourselves to be. So Very Small is a deeply researched and thoughtfully compelling exploration of our successes, failures, and precarious future with deadly pathogens.”—Timothy C. Winegard, New York Times bestselling author of The Mosquito and The Horse

“A thought-provoking, engrossing account of one of the most momentous transformations in our understanding of the world and our place in it. So Very Small brings the history of science to life with vivid details and captivating anecdotes.”—Jonathan Kennedy, author of Pathogenesis

“[A] very enjoyable and informative read. . . . Levenson gives a good account of the vigorous competition between the early advocates of germ theory as well as the often-heated battles with their opponents, paying due attention to the traditional ideas those opponents held. And his research turns up some surprises. . . . An engaging survey of the discovery of microbes, their role in disease, and the efforts to combat them.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“[A] timely and robust medical history.”—Booklist

Thomas Levenson is a professor of science writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of several books, including Money for Nothing, The Hunt for Vulcan, Einstein in Berlin, and Newton and the Counterfeiter. He has also made ten feature-length documentaries (including a two-hour Nova program on Albert Einstein), for which he has won numerous awards.

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