Strange bedfellows : adventures in the science, history, and surprising secrets of STDs / Ina Park.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-339) and index

Introduction : Beginning with a bang -- Killing the scarlet H : stigma and scandal in the world of genital herpes -- Bushwhacked : untangling pubic hair and STIs -- The garden of good and evil : exploring the wonders of the vaginal microbiome -- Warts and all : the omnipresence of the human papillomavirus -- Affectionate and popular : oh, the complex sexual webs we weave -- Knock, knock, it's the sex detectives : tales of public health's heroic contact tracers -- A pox on both your houses : on the mysteries and maladies of syphilis -- The path of least resistance : sailors, sex parties, and gonorrhea superbugs -- PrEPared : the little blue pill revolutionizing HIV prevention -- When the rubber meets the road : the lovely condom and the siren's song of STI prophylaxis -- Epilogue : Advice to the omnivores

"Sexually transmitted diseases have been hidden players in our lives for the whole of human history, with roles in everything from World War II to the growth of the Internet to The Bachelor. But despite their prominence, STDs have been shrouded in mystery and taboo for centuries, which begs the question: why do we know so little about them? Enter Ina Park, MD, who has been pushing boundaries to empower and inform others about sexual health for decades. With Strange Bedfellows, she ventures far beyond the bedroom to examine the hidden role and influence of these widely misunderstood infections and share their untold stories. Covering everything from AIDS to Zika, Park explores STDs on the cellular, individual, and population-level. She blends science and storytelling with historical tales, real life sexual escapades, and interviews with leading scientists--weaving in a healthy dose of hilarity along the way." -- Provided by publisher