A Brief History of Disease, Science and Medicine (ISBN 0974946648)

I'm the author:
I got a chuckle from a recent review by Seven Octaves. It was similar to a review in the Bulletin of the History of Medicine. Everyone wishes I had added a few hundred pages on their favorite subject. The book was written for medical students and nurses and pre-med students. I have been surprised at the acceptance by non-medical people. The idea was to provide what every young medical student or nurse or pre-med student should know. Salvarsan is of historic significance only. Erlich is important for his concept of the receptor that predicted antibiotics. The Bulletin reviewer would have preferred more on ancient medicine. I agree. But I would need a two volume work. Thanks for all the nice, and not so nice, comments. Even the guy who thinks my writing is terrible. The hardcover edition is now ( December 2008) going out of print as it has been sold out. Thanks to everyone who bought a copy. A new soft cover version, with the same contents and trade paperback size, will be out in January ( 2009) and will sell for the same price.

The Return of Humanism in Medicine: Hope for the Future!:
In this litigious time when physicians and all medical care workers tend to live under an umbrella of suspect brought on by the intervention of the media, vast lawsuits, big business (pharmaceutical companies) intervention, and computer access to data, there has occurred a response in the medical facilities to promote 'defensive medicine' to instruct the nascent students how to cope with the antagonistic world outside the halls of the teaching hospitals. This has resulted in less emphasis on the learning of the skills of the time honored Doctor-Patient relationship and in creating the aura that physicians dwell in glass dome sanctuaries of science: the quiet moments of sharing personal fears and concerns and relieving the pain in the souls of the patient and patients' families seem relics of the past house-call/caring-physician image. Michael Kennedy in his book A BRIEF HISTORY OF DISEASE, SCIENCE & MEDICINE has done more to rectify this widening gap between physician and patient than any volume I have read. This meticulously written, dignified yet very warm and honest look at medicine from the Ice Age to the era of molecular and genetic concepts for the present and the future reads more like a fascinating novel than an academic treatise. There are facts and histories discussed here which will enlighten not only the general public but also the men and women of medicine - from premed student to retired doctor. It is simply an amazing source of knowledge while simultaneously being an honest, no-holds-barred review of how we came to this point in healthcare. And if ever there were a time when this book was needed, it is certainly now. Read this fascinating tome and learn not only the extraordinary progress made in the mystery of disease and physical meanderings away from the 'normal', but at the same time see just how vulnerable is the scientist and physician in dealing with new aspects of the art of practicing medicine through time. Kennedy and his colleagues have added an important adjunct to the re-entry of humanism in the teaching of medicine at his alma mater: this book demonstrates that journey of commitment to resurrect the precious healing relationship between the doctor and those who approach him for succor. Read this book for a highly dignified history of medicine, for some amazing insights into disease process, and for reassurance the perhaps the return of the sanctity of healthcare delivery is a possibility. A fine and very important achievement, Dr. Kennedy!

The product of a three year research project:
A Brief History Of Disease, Science & Medicine is the product of Dr. Michael Kennedy's three year research project to write a book that would fill the unfortunate gaps in most medical student's educational curriculums, and also be of considerable value for the non-specialist general reader seeking a clearer understanding of the long history behind what we commonly recognize as the history of medical development from superstition to science. The first eight chapters aptly cover the history of early medicine and science described in more detail than typical medical history. Then Dr. Kennedy goes on to cover the discovery of anesthesia and antisepsis, the development of modern medicine and surgery, and concludes with a history of medical economics (including the origin of medical malpractice litigation). A Brief History Of Disease, Science & Medicine is enthusiastically recommended any and all for personal, professional, academic, and community library History of Medicine reference collections.

Fine Book:
Other reviewers have stated what this book is about, but I don't think this is quite a 5-star book however. Even though the title is "brief", he made no mention of all was the growth of plastic surgery following all the disfigured soldiers returning from WW1. Paul Ehrlich's development Salvarsan didn't even get an entire page devoted to it. Some history on treatments for others diseases are lacking or absent. This book could have been really good if the author threw in a few hundred more pages, (easy for me to say) but it's still a fine reference.

no problems!:
The book arrived it great shape without any damage. Book was brand new just as stated in the description. Also, the book arrived in the amount of time that was stated.