Our Parasites

In Our Parasites the intimate world of the microscopic organisms and parasites that inhabit our bodies is unsettlingly brought to life.

In thought-provoking and deeply human storytelling, biologist Andres Cota Hiriart debunks the bad press surrounding parasites and advocates for a harmonious co-dependence. We are more like a community than an individual, he argues: in fact, we are never alone. Even in solitude life teems within us.

In an exciting blend of memoir and science, Cota Hiriart begins with a vivid account of his own bout of tapeworm. And, exploring groundbreaking ideas, tugs at the heartstrings with an emerging theory that exposure to parasites could be linked to certain conditions such as schizophrenia, which his grandmother endured for most of her later life.

Disgusting wonders, terrifying curiosities, innocent and maleficent organisms - all are here in this immersive, enjoyable and enlightening encounter with the extraordinary world of our parasites.