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Product Description
Product Description
Against the backdrop of unprecedented concern for the future of health care, this Very Short Introduction surveys the history of medicine from classical times to the present. Focussing on the key turning points in the history of Western medicine, such as the advent of hospitals and the rise of experimental medicine, Bill Bynum offers insights into medicine's past, while at the same time engaging with contemporary issues, discoveries, and controversies.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book provides a good companion to any book written by Porter on the history of medicine - easy to navigate and will act as a good signpost to other more detailed texts. At the price it is a very good buy.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Medicine is one of those things that most of us give little thought until we get sick. And then we only think of it in terms of practical considerations - which doctor to go to, how to deal with the medical condition that we have. However, as both a practical and intellectual discipline medicine has a very long tradition. The western medicine, which is the main subject of this very short introduction, is usually considered to begin with Hippocrates. Hippocrates, however, was not a single individual, but probably the founder of the school of medicine to which many have contributed their works over the course of couple of centuries. This book starts with those contributions and continues to explore major advances in medicine up to the present times. It covers all main branches of medicine, and shows how they became increasingly interdependent over the course of history. The book is very informative and its greatest strength is the elucidation of the great improvements in medicine that most of us take for granted now. Just a generation ago, for instance, bacterial infection was a major source of debilitating illness or even death. Today we are largely free of those fears, although with the advent of antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" those fearful days may come back again.
One of the books biggest strengths and weaknesses at the same time is the lack of exposure to some of the most promising recent developments in medicine. On one hand there could be more that could be said about the huge promise of genetically based medicine, but on the other hand it is to book's credit that it omits whole fields in which medical professionals have found themselves which traditionally had nothing to do with medicine. Overall, however, this is a well thought out and an incredibly readable treatment of the history of medicine.
One of the books biggest strengths and weaknesses at the same time is the lack of exposure to some of the most promising recent developments in medicine. On one hand there could be more that could be said about the huge promise of genetically based medicine, but on the other hand it is to book's credit that it omits whole fields in which medical professionals have found themselves which traditionally had nothing to do with medicine. Overall, however, this is a well thought out and an incredibly readable treatment of the history of medicine.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This small book is like the Tardis - so much packed into it. It deals with the topic in an academic and yet very readable way. This book has been invaluable in helping me to complete successfully a university-level History of Medicine course. Very comprehensive in its detail, very enlightening about dozens of notable people who have contributed to medicine through the ages. As far as developments in medicine, the book also gives you a good sense of what came before and what happened next - and the reasons for these. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
good enough...
As the title says itself it is a "very short introduction" to the history of medicine and it is in the best way. It is for those who need only the basics. Read more
Published 2 days ago by K. Manta
Great introduction to a huge topic.
Excellent book that introduces you to a large volume of content in an easily digested manner. A perfect way to get acquainted with the field of medicine beyond the 21st Century.
Published 6 months ago by Apollo
Slightly Disappointing
This is an interesting attempt to summarize a complex and extensive subject. The author adopts an original approach by dividing medicine in various areas. Read more
Published 15 months ago by insider
The History of Medicine: A Very Short Introduction
As a Physician I knew a lot of medical history already and this book did not tell me anything I did not already know. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Doced
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