History of Medicine: A Scandalously Short Introduction |
Buy History of Medicine: A Scandalously Short Introduction here, one of 750 Medical History books offered for sale at discount prices here in the history books section at R bookshop. There are currently 71945 history books in our history books section, and over 1,000,000 books listed in our book store. We greatly appreciate your patronage at R bookshop and look forward to offering you a large selection of great books at discount prices now and in the future. Thank you for shopping at R Bookshop!
|
You Are Here: Home > History Books > Medical History > Item 31
 |
History of Medicine: A Scandalously Short Introduction
|
by Jacalyn Duffin
Sales Rank: 272449
|
$24.92
At Amazon
on 6-16-2008.
|
|
|
|
Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 384 pages
Published by: University of Toronto PressEdition: 1st Edition October 30, 1999
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0802079121
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0802079121
Book Dimensions:
8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
Weighs: 1.8 pounds
Product Description
Jacalyn Duffin's History of Medicine provides a brief survey of the history of Western medicine with reference to recent scholarly literature and current issues in health care. Organized conceptually around the major fields of medical endeavour - anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, surgery, obstetrics, psychiatry, pediatrics, and family medicine - this book is an accessible overview of medical history as a vibrant component of social, intellectual, and cultural history, and as a research discipline in its own right.
Each chapter begins in antiquity and ends in the twentieth century. Throughout, Duffin shows that alternative interpretations can be found for most elements of our past and that topics of interest can go well beyond 'great men' and 'great discoveries' to include ideas, diseases, patients, institutions, and great mistakes. This approach does not mean that the 'great men' (and women) are neglected; rather they appear in context. Medical disasters such as chloramphenicol and thalidomide, are covered along with the triumphs, and examples from Canada's past, largely ignored in other medical histories, are included. A chapter on methodology, suggestions for further reading with special attention to Canadian sources, and a careful index make it possible to research a specific event or historical debate, or to satisfy a more general curiosity.
By presenting the material in a structure that resonates with the broad outlines of medical training, and by focusing on the questions asked most often, this text is a relevant guide for students to the history of the profession they are about to embrace, and for those who would teach them, be they physicians or historians. Duffin's clear and entertaining prose and the many illustrations will help to demystify medicine for general readers and for students in other domains, such as history, philosophy, and sociology.
About The Author
Jacalyn Duffin is a professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Department of History, and the Department of Philosophy, and holds the Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine at Queen's University.
Reader Reviews
Why would anybody other than a medical historian (or an aging doctor such as myself) be interested in a book on the history of medicine? Jacalyn Duffin gives us all the answer in the final chapter of this book (How to Research a Question in Medical History) when she writes: "No medical subject - be it a person, a practice, an institution, a technology, or an idea - can be fully explored without also studying its political, social, economic, and cultural environment." In this introductory text (compiled from medical student lectures at Queen's University) one gets a clear view of how medicine reflects society, and how health care providers are influenced by non-medical factors in society at large. Although this is not a textbook of Canadian medical history, it is written by a Canadian for a Canadian audience. This is particularly valuable as many of us who are wondering where the Canadian health care system is heading, can get at least an overview from this text of how our current system developed. The text is organized by topic (e.g. History of Anatomy) rather than as a continuous chronology. This makes the reading much simpler for a relatively uninformed reader, as only one concept at a time is explored. As well, chapters can be read in any order, depending on the reader's particular interests. The exceptional nature of this book is probably based on the relatively rare characteristics of the author: she is a practicing physician (haematologist) as well as a formally trained historian. As a result the book covers both important historical trends as well as the difficulties facing individual practitioners as they try and alleviate human suffering. My favourite chapter was entitled "Science of Suffering: History of Pathology." The reader is given a clear understanding of how the concept of `disease' developed, and both the strengths and weaknesses of this diagnostic labelling. The chapter on blood (Why is Blood Special?) literally `pulses' with excitement and enthusiasm, obviously reflecting the author's particular interests as well as the historical importance of the topic. Throughout this text, there is a refreshing absence of both medical jargon and dense academic prose, making reading the book an enjoyable process. My one quibble is that Professor Duffin's elegant descriptions of the importance of a population approach to health fails to ask one question that always intrigues me. Does the focus on a population health approach have within it the inevitable potential to put differential values on human life? Was the eugenics movement a result of a `population health' perspective? In Canada, with universal medicare and no private practice option (as occurs in the United Kingdom), might someone with an `unimportant' disease eventually be `uncovered' by medicare? Does focusing on the greater good inevitably result in inhumane or unfair treatment to some? Perhaps a topic for a second edition. So once again who should read this book? Clearly it is a must read for medical students and doctors interested in medical history. However, it would be a shame to limit this fine text to that small audience. This book can be enjoyed by anybody interested in understanding health care or who is just interested in medical history. It deserves a wide audience.
Comment | |
(Report this)
Back To Top
|
History of Medicine: A Scandalously Short Introduction
Available from Amazon
Price: $24.92
Updated on 6-16-2008.
|
NOTICE: All prices, availability, and specifications
are subject to verification by their respective retailers.
| We offer History of Medicine: A Scandalously Short Introduction and other related Medical History Books here at Rbookshop.com. To view more books about Medical History please use the previous and next buttons near the top of this page.
|
|
Search for books at
