In Cold Pursuit: Medical Intelligence Investigates the Common Cold

John H. Gryfe is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon practising in
Toronto.

A tremendous amount of time, energy, and expense has been devoted to
unlocking the secrets of the common cold. Countless theories based on
such factors as seasonal influences, community isolation, interpersonal
microbial transfers, and even the length of sea voyages have captured
the spotlight, only to disappear and yet re-emerge in some form at a
later date.

Enigmatic in behavior and teasingly simple in clinical presentation,
the common cold has doubtlessly challenged the emotional status of more
than one of its pursuers. What could be more appropriate, therefore,
than a discourse on these theories authored by a psychologist? Gilmore,
professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Toronto, set out
to prove that the common cold is not a neurotic symptom. The result of
his 17-year investigation is a book that is literate but so dense in
contradictory research data that the reader is left feeling more
congested than enlightened.