Summary

Chapter 8, “Leaky SEALs: Diarrhea as a Threat to National Security” The author begins her consideration of the often debilitating effect of diarrhea and other digestive disorders (considered under the umbrella term “dysentery”) with commentary on how such diseases have affected armies throughout time, making particular reference to the fact that in the American Civil War, more soldiers died from dysentery than in combat. She also explores the science-defined causes of dysentery and diarrhea, referring to several types of bacteria and to research into how those bacteria are spread and ingested by humans – that is, through the consumption of improperly prepared local food (when soldiers are deployed to countries where food preparation tends towards the unsanitary), and through passage of those bacteria to humans by insects who have both touched fecal matter and food.

The author comments on how diarrhea is a world-wide killer, particularly...