The Triumph of the Fungi, A Rotten History
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loginThis book is concerned with the most devastating fungal diseases in history. These are the plagues of trees and cropplants, caused by invisible spores that have reshaped entire landscapes and decimated human populations. Everyone isaware of the Irish potato famine, but while many other fungal diseases are less familiar, they have had similarlydisastrous consequences.The Triumph of the Fungifocuses on the fascinating biology of the well-known and lesser-knowndiseases. It also tells the stories of the scientists involved in their study and of the people directly affected by the loss offorest trees including the chestnut, and cash crops such as coffee and cacao. Although a book about fungal epidemicsisn't tailor-made for an intoxicating and uplifting read, the chronicle of the mycologists and plant pathologists engagedin combatting these diseases is one of human optimism (often encouraged by desperate eccentricity). In a surprisinglybrief time, human knowledge of the fungi that infect plants has evolved from Biblical superstition to the recognition ofthe true nature of plant disease and, more recently, to a sense of awe for the sophistication of these organisms. Thecrucial issue of human culpability in these fungal epidemics is addressed in the book's closing chapter.
