First published 1990
Dr. Devra Lee Davis sits in her research office, surrounded by mortality statistics from dozens of countries. The numbers tell a troubling story. Cancer deaths climb steadily across the industrialized world, but the patterns vary dramatically between nations and regions. Davis must untangle whether these differences reflect genuine trends or statistical artifacts. She examines workplace exposures, environmental contamination, and lifestyle factors that might explain why cancer strikes more frequently in some places than others. Her investigation reveals how industrial development shapes disease patterns in ways that governments and corporations prefer to ignore. The data forces Davis to confront uncomfortable questions about the true cost of modern progress and whether public health agencies adequately protect their populations.
Genres: science, medical, non-fiction, health, history-of-medicine, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism
Setting: Industrial Countries
Period: 20th-Century, 21st-Century
347 pages · Hardcover · New York Academy of Sciences