The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity (The Norton History of Science)

The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity (The Norton History of Science) PDF Author: Roy Porter
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393242447
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 872

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Book Description
"To combine enormous knowledge with a delightful style and a highly idiosyncratic point of view is Roy Porter's special gift, and it makes [this] book . . . alive and fascinating and provocative on every page."—Oliver Sacks, M.D. Hailed as "a remarkable achievement" (Boston Sunday Globe) and as "a triumph: simultaneously entertaining and instructive, witty and thought-provoking . . . a splendid and thoroughly engrossing book" (Los Angeles Times), Roy Porter's charting of the history of medicine affords us an opportunity as never before to assess its culture and science and its costs and benefits to mankind. Porter explores medicine's evolution against the backdrop of the wider religious, scientific, philosophical, and political beliefs of the culture in which it develops, covering ground from the diseases of the hunter-gatherers to today's threat of AIDS and ebola, from the clearly defined conviction of the Hippocratic oath to the muddy ethical dilemmas of modern-day medicine. Offering up a treasure trove of historical surprises along the way, this book "has instantly become the standard single-volume work in its field" (The Lancet). "The author's perceptiveness is, as usual, scalpel-sharp; his manner genially bedside; his erudition invigorating." - Simon Schama

The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity (The Norton History of Science)

The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity (The Norton History of Science) PDF Author: Roy Porter
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393242447
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 872

Get Book

Book Description
"To combine enormous knowledge with a delightful style and a highly idiosyncratic point of view is Roy Porter's special gift, and it makes [this] book . . . alive and fascinating and provocative on every page."—Oliver Sacks, M.D. Hailed as "a remarkable achievement" (Boston Sunday Globe) and as "a triumph: simultaneously entertaining and instructive, witty and thought-provoking . . . a splendid and thoroughly engrossing book" (Los Angeles Times), Roy Porter's charting of the history of medicine affords us an opportunity as never before to assess its culture and science and its costs and benefits to mankind. Porter explores medicine's evolution against the backdrop of the wider religious, scientific, philosophical, and political beliefs of the culture in which it develops, covering ground from the diseases of the hunter-gatherers to today's threat of AIDS and ebola, from the clearly defined conviction of the Hippocratic oath to the muddy ethical dilemmas of modern-day medicine. Offering up a treasure trove of historical surprises along the way, this book "has instantly become the standard single-volume work in its field" (The Lancet). "The author's perceptiveness is, as usual, scalpel-sharp; his manner genially bedside; his erudition invigorating." - Simon Schama

Greatest Benefit To Mankind

Greatest Benefit To Mankind PDF Author: Roy Porter
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393319806
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 874

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Book Description
A new comprehensive book on the history of medicine.

Greatest benefit to mankind

Greatest benefit to mankind PDF Author: Roy Porter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 833

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Book Description


The Greatest Benefit to Mankind

The Greatest Benefit to Mankind PDF Author: Roy Porter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History of medicine
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description


The Cambridge History of Medicine

The Cambridge History of Medicine PDF Author: Roy Porter
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521864267
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 11

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Book Description
Against the backdrop of unprecedented concern for the future of health care, 'The Cambridge History of Medicine' surveys the rise of medicine in the West from classical times to the present. Covering both the social and scientific history of medicine, this volume traces the chronology of key developments and events.

Blood and Guts: A Short History of Medicine

Blood and Guts: A Short History of Medicine PDF Author: Roy Porter
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393243346
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
"Ideas tumble out of Porter like wonders from some scholarly horn of plenty." —Sherwin B. Nuland, The New Republic An eminently readable, entertaining romp through the history of our vain and valiant efforts to heal ourselves. Mankind's battle to stay alive and healthy for as long as possible is our oldest, most universal struggle. With his characteristic wit and vastly informed historical scope, Roy Porter examines the war fought between disease and doctors on the battleground of the flesh from ancient times to the present. He explores the many ingenious ways in which we have attempted to overcome disease through the ages: the changing role of doctors, from ancient healers, apothecaries, and blood-letters to today's professionals; the array of drugs, from Ayurvedic remedies to the launch of Viagra; the advances in surgery, from amputations performed by barbers without anesthetic to today's sophisticated transplants; and the transformation of hospitals from Christian places of convalescence to modern medical powerhouses. Cleverly illustrated with historic line drawings, the chronic ailments of humanity provide vivid anecdotes for Porter's enlightening story of medicine's efforts to prevail over a formidable and ever-changing adversary.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers PDF Author: Mary Roach
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393324826
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
A look inside the world of forensics examines the use of human cadavers in a wide range of endeavors, including research into new surgical procedures, space exploration, and a Tennessee human decay research facility.

Biotechnology and the Human Good

Biotechnology and the Human Good PDF Author: C. Ben Mitchell
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
ISBN: 9781589012769
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
Some of humankind's greatest tools have been forged in the research laboratory. Who could argue that medical advances like antibiotics, blood transfusions, and pacemakers have not improved the quality of people's lives? But with each new technological breakthrough there comes an array of consequences, at once predicted and unpredictable, beneficial and hazardous. Outcry over recent developments in the reproductive and genetic sciences has revealed deep fissures in society's perception of biotechnical progress. Many are concerned that reckless technological development, driven by consumerist impulses and greedy entrepreneurialism, has the potential to radically shift the human condition—and not for the greater good. Biotechnology and the Human Good builds a case for a stewardship deeply rooted in Judeo-Christian theism to responsibly interpret and assess new technologies in a way that answers this concern. The authors jointly recognize humans not as autonomous beings but as ones accountable to each other, to the world they live in, and to God. They argue that to question and critique how fields like cybernetics, nanotechnology, and genetics might affect our future is not anti-science, anti-industry, or anti-progress, but rather a way to promote human flourishing, common sense, and good stewardship. A synthetic work drawing on the thought of a physician, ethicists, and a theologian, Biotechnology and the Human Good reminds us that although technology is a powerful and often awe-inspiring tool, it is what lies in the heart and soul of who wields this tool that truly makes the difference in our world.

The History of Medicine: A Very Short Introduction

The History of Medicine: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: William Bynum
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019921543X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 185

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Book Description
Against the backdrop of unprecedented concern for the future of health care, this i Very Short Introduction/i 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 therise of experimental medicine - but also offering reflections on alternative traditions such as Chinese medicine, Bill Bynum offers insights into medicine's past, while at the same time engaging with contemporary issues, discoveries, and controversies.

Medicine

Medicine PDF Author: Roy Porter
Publisher: Marlowe
ISBN: 9781569247082
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
A history of therapeutic practices, from ancient rituals to the age of computers, explores traditions from the East and the West, and argues that a combination of the Eastern and Western approaches would provide the best healing