This book symbolizes the first time I was ever interested in medicine. I had to read this book for my summer biology project before sophomore year. The project was awful, probably one of the most lengthy projects I have ever done. This book, written by Richard Preston, is about the anthrax outbreak and the eradication of smallpox from the planet. It was one of the most interesting books I have ever read, even with the horrible project that went with it. Going into sophomore year, I was planning on becoming an environmental scientist, and I still felt that way through most of the year. However, this book sparked an interest in me about virology and immunology and, eventually, medicine. Without this book and the teacher who taught my biology class (and eventually my anatomy and physiology class) in high school, I think I would be on a very different path than I am today. This book and these classes taught me so much and interested me more than I ever had been before. By the end of my senior year of high school, I knew I wanted to go into medicine. Anatomy just made sense to me, and I truly enjoyed learning about it. This book is my artifact. Even though most of my classmates hated it, to me it is the beginning of a journey.