The Family That Couldn't Sleep

The Family That Couldn't Sleep: A Medical Mystery, by D.T. Max

An extremely interesting book about rare and often fatal prion diseases which are caused by proteins in the body that are folded the wrong way. The book traces one type of disease (which causes fatal insomnia) through an Italian family, discusses mad cow disease, and talks about cannibal tribes in Papua New Guinea. The author explains all the medical and scientific terminology well, and book flows smoothly from one portion to the next. May turn you vegetarian!