A mysterious entity had left holes in one of his thin films of bacteria. He took samples from within the holes, spread them on other plates of bacteria and got the same effect. The culprit, it would later turn out, was a phage, a kind of virus that “eats” bacteria. Ireland, an award-winning science journalist, approaches the subject of his first book with curiosity and passion, delivering a deft narrative that is rich and approachable. In the hands of d’Herelle and others, the phage became a potent tool in the fight against cholera.

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Persons: Tom Ireland, Alfonso Martinez Arias, Felix d’Herelle, d’Herelle, Tom Ireland’s “ Organizations: Belgian Locations: French, Canadian, Mexico, Ireland, Europe, America