The Story of Medicine: From Bloodletting to Biotechnology

by Mary Dobson

A companion volume to Disease: the extraordinary stories behind history's deadliest killers.

In The Story of Medicine, esteemed medical historian and author Mary Dobson charts the ways in which we have fought with disease and injury over several millennia – from the ‘humors’ of Hippocrates to Edward Jenner and the eradication of smallpox; from Florence Nightingale’s nursing reforms to Crick and Watson’s DNA chain.

Beautifully realized with paintings, illustrations and photographs, this volume is filled with the trauma as well as the triumph of medical science: including the pain of the surgeon’s knife in the centuries before anesthetics, the body-snatchers of the nineteenth century, and the realities of battlefield surgery. Moving and revealing, here is a fascinating study of the glorious—and sometimes dangerous—pursuit of medical science.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Medicine, Science, Medical

239 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a substantive look at the history of medicine (not that I thought it would be) - rather more a coffee book table with some interesting anecdotes, fun facts and lots of good pictures that take the reader through five thousand years of medical history. Much of the material will not be new to many readers, but there are plenty of nuggets that I was not previously aware of that kept the book interesting to me.

[Miranda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew a lot already that was in this book, but I loved all the pictures included of medieval anatomy and medicine!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. British author w/ Brit. perspective.

[Bob Tunney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well presented with annotated images and succint historical information. Look elsewhere for an in-depth overview of any one subject, however.

[sahithi doddaka · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting