BSE : a veterinary history / Transmissibility of BSE across species / Sheep to cows to man : a history of TSEs / Can the spread of BSE and CJD be predicted? / Chronic uncertainty and BSE communications : lessons from (and limits of) decision theory / BSE and CJD : recent developments / Mad cows and Englishmen / BSE : a tragedy is public health in reverse / Politics of BSE : negotiating the public's health / Protecting health : can the UK do better? / Madness, metaphors and miscommunication : the rhetorical life of mad cow disease / Media coverage of the mad cow issue: Introduction / Analysis of media coverage of the BSE crisis in Britain / Analysis of media coverage of the BSE crisis in the United States / Avoiding, averting and managing crisis : a checklist for the future / Farming with nature : a solutions-oriented strategy / Strategies for attaining public health