Toxin by Robin Cook

It's not a surprise that I'd eventually explore the medical science fiction genre in books. I was taken aback by how it took my interest starting with Gary Birken's Plague. I've seen Robin Cook's famous novel Outbreak made into a movie. In fact, I've watched Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo multiple times acting as the experts on the epidemic. Having that opportunity to grab a cheap hardbound copy of Toxin was just darned luck. It was quite a catch, finding it beneath some copies from other best-selling authors like Nora Roberts, Michael Crichton and Iris Johansen.


Compared to Gary Birken's Plague, Toxin had an indefinite end which suggested a sequel. It almost followed the same style as Outbreak. For those who haven't seen it yet, I won't be spoiling the fun as to tell it here. Robin Cook made it a point to make the people aware of what is currently happening in the government system. Corruption everywhere has been apparent- starting in the first chapters of the book. To make things worst, not only has it been hard for Dr. Kim Reggis to obtain proper help when his daughter got sick, but he right then and there saw how the administration he was working under had no genuine intention of helping people without profit as their main concern.

Ironic how I had just been reading this book after which I ate a burger. Robin Cook's vivid description on how cows were processed, momentarily gave me second thoughts on eating burgers or anything made of meat, for that matter. After all, the E. Coli O157:H7 strain had come from a rare cooked burger. I'd just like to warn all meat-lovers out there that this book teaches a valuable lesson on seriously making it a point to cook meat well. Even then, it hadn't been enough to kill the bacteria. Surprisingly, with all the effort that's been placed to exposing the truth to the public, money played the important role of covering these tracks.