A Brief History of Medicine: From Hippocrates to Gene TherapyThe foundations for the scientific study of the body and modern Western medicine as we know it started with William Harvey's discovery of the circulatory system in the early 17th century. But its roots stretch back as far as ancient Greece, when medicine first departed from the divine and the mystical and moved toward observation and logic. Its early development was slow, constrained by the taboo around dissection (only external symptoms could be used for diagnosis), as well as superstition and mysticism (illness was the work of demons and pixies and curable only by penitence). Paul Strathern steers us skillfully through the maze of discoveries, diseases, and wrong turns that have made medicine what it is today--super efficient, high tech, and increasingly costly. "A Brief History of Medicine" offers an accessible history of the arguments, missteps, and dumb luck that led to the world's most important medical breakthroughs--from anatomy, grave robbing, the plague, and germ theory to vaccination, quackery, microorganisms, and penicillin. |
Contents
First Light | 1 |
A Tradition is Born | 22 |
Figures in a Dark Landscape | 38 |
Copyright | |
16 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
A Brief History of Medicine: From Hippocrates' Four Humours to Crick and ... Paul Strathern No preview available - 2005 |
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Al-Razi anaesthetic anatomy ancient animals anthrax Antonine Plagues appeared Arabic Aristotle arterial Avicenna bacteria became become began Bernard blood born caused cells century chemical cowpox cure death Despite developed died discovered discovery disease dissection doctor drugs effect Europe eventually experiments fact Fallopius father fermentation fever Florey four humours Fracastorius France French Galen German Gillies Greek Haller Harvey Harvey's heart Herophilus Hippocrates hospital human body humours ideas infected investigations Jenner known Koch laboratory later learning Leeuwenhoek living London lungs Mary Seacole medicine method microscope modern Müller nerve Nightingale nitrous oxide nursing operation organs original Paracelsus passed Pasteur patient penicillin philosopher physician pioneer plague plastic surgery polio practice produced prontosil proved remained result Royal Salk Sanctorius scientific Semmelweis smallpox soon spread suffered surgeon symptoms syphilis theory throughout tion tissue transformed University vaccine variolation veins venous ventricle Vesalius virus