A History of Cardiac Surgery
An Adventurous Voyage from Antiquity to the Artificial Heart
The beginning of cardiac surgery is generally considered to be the successful repair of a wound of the heart that took place on the 7th of September 1896 in Frankfurt am Main. This operation put an end to the widespread belief that nature had set the heart beyond the limits of surgery. The successive development of heart surgery moved together with other advances that were rapidly taking place in various fields of medicine and surgery and which, already in the first half of the 20th century, had allowed surgical…
This book narrates the fascinating and dramatic history of cardiac surgery. It details the pioneers who defied the belief that the heart was inoperable and the innovations that led to open-heart surgery, valve replacements, and heart transplantation.
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Transnational Psychiatries
Social and Cultural Histories of Psychiatry in Comparative Perspective c. 1800-2000
This book offers something new in the history of psychiatry. Within a transnational research framework, it presents original historical case studies and conceptual reflections on comparative and related methodologies. Systematic comparison and transfer studies as well as aspects of entangled history are employed in relation to themes such as different cultural meanings pertaining to the same term; transfer of treatment practices and institutional regimes; localised practices and (re)-emerging forms of patient care; circulation of early anti-psychiatrists’ views; impact of war and politics on patients’ welfare and…
This book offers a new, transnational history of psychiatry. Through original case studies from South America, Asia, the Pacific, and Europe, it explores the global transfer of practices, revealing commonalities, contrasts, and interconnections.
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This book describes the major changes in American medicine and healthcare that took place during 100 years of efforts to deliver the fruits of biomedical science to all. The story is told through the life of Halsted Reid Holman, an icon in American academic medicine and arguably one of the most notable academic leaders in the US. His story is extraordinary, human, and inspiring. A charismatic figure, a beloved doctor, brilliant bench scientist, innovative teacher, mentor to many leaders in American medicine and leader of one of the world’s great…
This book describes 100 years of change in American medicine through the extraordinary and inspiring life of Halsted Reid Holman. A visionary leader, he challenged orthodoxy and injustice, navigating the tension between healthcare as a basic human right and as a business.
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Dr Samways Writes to the Editor
The Life and Times of an Exceptional Physician (1857-1931)
This is the story of Dr Daniel West Samways’s academic and professional life. After early achievements in physics at Cambridge, and medical training under eminent physicians at Guy’s Hospital, London, he seemed destined for a prestigious career. An attack of tuberculosis threw him off course. After recovering on the French Riviera he added a Paris MD to his numerous qualifications and turned to general practice. The book captures his undiminished scientific curiosity and clinical compassion, revealed in his many articles, commentaries and letters to the major journals. He engaged…
After early achievements in physics and medicine, Dr Daniel Samways’s prestigious career was thrown off course by tuberculosis. He turned to general practice, but his undiminished scientific curiosity was revealed in prolific writings that continue to resonate today.
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Roman Military Medicine
Survival in the Modern Wilderness
This work sheds light on the mostly obscure topic of medicine and its use in the Roman military. It explores the workings of the ancient healthcare system, the methods of care by physicians, and the treatments for different ailments and injuries. The contributions utilise historical writings, archeological artifacts, and more recent research on the United States military in order to discuss the past with an eye on the future of military and wildlife survival.
An illuminating text on the understudied topic of medicine and its use in the Roman military, this study explores the workings of the ancient healthcare system, the methods of care by its physicians, and the treatments it offered for different ailments and injuries.
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Shell Shock Doctors
Neuropsychiatry in the Trenches, 1914-18
Shell shock was the signature injury of the First World War. Military doctors during the conflict on the Western Front observed and personally experienced psychiatric states they had never witnessed before. This text reviews the published medical literature of that era which graphically detailed the clinical states of hysteria (conversion disorder) and neurasthenia (anxiety and PTSD). Medical officers at the front evolved pragmatic medicinal, cognitive and behavioural interventions, still practised today, though never scientifically proven to be effective. The doctors, like their patients, endured numerous horrors at the front, which…
Shell shock was WWI’s signature injury. Military doctors witnessed psychiatric states never seen before, evolving interventions still in use today. This text reconsiders their forgotten writings. Neuropsychiatry was founded in the shell craters of Flanders.
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Controversies in Medicine and Neuroscience
Through the Prism of History, Neurobiology and Bioethics
This book explores some of the most fascinating medical and life science topics of the 20th and 21st centuries, viewed through the unique perspective of an experienced neurosurgeon and medical historian with a special interest in bioethics, neurobiology, and other aspects of the life sciences. It bridges multiple disciplines in the life sciences—from historic advances in psychosurgery to fascinating advances in neurobiology, such as the neurophysiology of learning and memory, and the neuropharmacology of hallucinogenic drugs. It also discusses intriguing frontal and temporal lobe syndromes in neuropsychiatry, a…
From the unique perspective of a neurosurgeon and medical historian, this book explores fascinating topics in the life sciences—from historic advances in psychosurgery and neurobiology to the ancient mystery of Neolithic trepanation and the complexities of modern bioethics.
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The History of Medicine and Healthcare
Selected Papers
This volume brings together such topics as the history of psychiatry, biomedical ethics in history, military medicine, children, women and changing gender roles in modern medicine, public health history, and a special communication on the history of Canadian hospital workers. Of special note is a paper by internationally renowned historian, Dr Peter L. Twohig, Canadian Research Chair in the History of the Atlantic World at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is well-illustrated with images and diagrams pertaining to the history of medicine.
This well-illustrated volume covers topics such as the history of psychiatry, biomedical ethics, and public health. Of special note is a paper by internationally renowned historian Dr Peter L. Twohig.
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This book addresses through an international lens the experiences of illness, the challenges of care, the politics and biopolitics of health and the ethical dilemmas related to subjectivity and afflictions in current medical care. In an era of biomedical technology and life-prolonging treatments, taking into account the different subjective experiences of illness and suffering is imperative, as is analysing the extent to which different healthcare policies and services are sensitive to the voice and experience of those afflicted. This book is a unique international contribution on subjectivities and afflictions from…
In an era of biomedical technology, how do we account for the subjective experiences of illness and suffering? This unique book offers an international medical anthropology perspective on the ethics of care and the importance of the patient’s voice in healthcare.
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The Complete History of Plague in Norway, 1348-1654
The Second Pandemic
Historical studies of plague are predominantly related to individual local epidemics, often associated with the Black Death. However, this unique book provides a complete presentation of the entire Second Plague Pandemic in Norway, from the Black Death to the last outbreaks of plague in 1654. It begins with a succinct presentation of the history of plague and its basic clinical and epidemiological features, while also drawing upon new scholarship and research. It confirms the great genetic stability of the plague contagion, and shows that the outbreaks and spread of plague…
This unique book provides a complete history of the entire Second Plague Pandemic in Norway, from the Black Death to 1654. It studies how plague epidemics evolve by comparing their spread and dynamics in late medieval society versus early modern society.
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This volume continues the Proceedings of the Calgary History of Medicine Days series which publishes the work of young and emerging researchers in the field, hence providing a unique publishing format. The annual Calgary History of Medicine Days Conference, established in 1991, brings together undergraduate and early graduate students from across Canada, Latin America, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe to give paper and poster presentations on a wide variety of topics from the history of medicine and healthcare from a multiple perspectives. The History of Medicine Days…
This volume publishes work by emerging researchers in the history of medicine, exploring topics from medical classics and the effects of war to conceptions of blood. It features the paper by keynote speaker Dr Thomas Schlich and is well-illustrated.
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Benjamin Jesty has been described as ‘the man history forgot’. Spanning the late 18th and early 19th centuries, this book tells the story of the ingenious Dorset farmer who used cowpox as a vaccine to protect his family against the dreaded disease of smallpox in 1774. This happened 22 years before Dr Edward Jenner used a similar process. The origins of vaccination have always been clouded in controversy. Probing previous accounts flawed by myth or subjectivity, this text sets the record straight. Man’s early attempts at stimulating immunity are rooted…
In 1774, 22 years before Dr Edward Jenner, farmer Benjamin Jesty used cowpox to vaccinate his family against smallpox. This book tells the story of ‘the man history forgot’, setting the record straight to honour him with the credit he deserves.
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Very little has been written on the unique historical medical heritage of the National Palace of Mafra in Portugal, which celebrated its new status as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2019. This book brings together a set of innovative studies which consider the importance of this unique collection of medical texts and items of material medical culture. Using a multifaceted approach, topics as diverse as the rise of alchemy at the hands of Paracelsus, the lives and contributions of neglected eighteenth century physicians, and the history of elements of…
This book explores the unique medical heritage of Portugal’s National Palace of Mafra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It presents innovative studies on its collection of medical texts and items, covering topics from Paracelsan alchemy to the lives of 18th-century physicians.
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£49.99
Gender is an exciting area of current research in the medical humanities, and by combining the study of medical narratives with theories of gender and sexuality, the essays in Gender Scripts in Medicine and Narrative illustrate the power of gender stereotypes to shape the way medicine is practiced and perceived. The chapters of Gender Scripts in Medicine and Narrative investigate gendered perceptions and representations of healers and patients in fiction, memoir, popular literature, poetry, film, television, the history of science, new media, and visual art. The fourteen chapters of Gender…
These essays illustrate the power of gender stereotypes to shape how medicine is practiced and perceived. The chapters investigate gendered perceptions of healers and patients in narratives across fiction, memoir, film, new media, and visual art.
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Selected Articles and Letters of Stewart R. Roberts, MD (1878-1941)
The Osler of the South
Born and raised in Georgia after the Civil War, Stewart R. Roberts, MD, served as Professor of Clinical Medicine at Emory University (1915-1941) and was the first cardiologist in the South of the United States. Roberts was frequently called ‘the Osler of the South,’ after Sir William Osler, the father of modern medicine. This book presents a selection of 20 articles by Roberts, providing insights into his work and his environment.
Stewart R. Roberts, MD, was the first cardiologist in the South of the United States and was frequently called ‘the Osler of the South.’ This book presents a selection of 20 articles by Roberts, providing insights into his work and his environment.
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In the pre-antibiotic era, the infections we currently see as relatively minor were sometimes deadly. This book discusses the rise (and sometimes fall) of “wonder drugs” designed to combat infections for which, at the time, there was no cure. However, history has shown us that, when antibiotics are overused, it can ultimately lead to either widespread discontinuation of the antibiotic or a drastic decrease in efficacy, leaving healthcare providers with few or no options for treatment. This book explores the discoveries of the major antibiotic drug classes, and highlights major…
This book discusses the rise and fall of “wonder drugs” that combat deadly infections. However, overuse leads to antibiotic resistance, leaving few treatment options. Explore the discoveries of major drug classes, the resistant bacteria we now face, and novel strategies.
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American medicine defies simple characterization. Its history is filled with as much triumph as controversy, which may explain why the delivery of health care in America is described as both the best and the worst of any industrialized country in the world. This book examines the convoluted course of medical practice in America from its roots in rural colonial society to the end of the 20th century. This story is chronicled through narratives of major events, famous individuals, and professional organizations and institutions. Unlike most historical treatises on medicine,…
American medicine’s history is filled with triumph and controversy. This book examines its convoluted course from colonial society to the 20th century, exploring accomplishments and misadventures, from the Mayo Clinic to the Tuskegee affair, to reveal its conflicting tenets.
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Insights into Portuguese Medical History
From the Birth of the Art of Asclepius
Despite its richness as a potential research field, the history of medicine in Portugal has received relatively little attention outside the country. This book develops some of the understudied themes of Portuguese medical history and delivers them to a wider audience by bringing together the work of a group of international scholars. Here, a unique set of innovative studies begins to uncover details of the lives, medical practice and research of some famous and less well-known Portuguese physicians, the Portuguese response to past pandemics, and analyses of a wide range…
This book uncovers the understudied history of medicine in Portugal. International scholars reveal the lives of physicians, responses to past pandemics, and analyses of medical culture, from defence against plague to the history of medicinal emeralds and spectacles.
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Dutch Newspapers on War Victims and Their LSD-treatment by Jan Bastiaans
From KZ-syndrome to PTSD
In the 1960s, it became clear that survivors of the concentration camps had developed psychological complaints. They were diagnosed with KZ-syndrome. Dutch psychiatrist Jan Bastiaans used LSD in his psychotherapeutic sessions with KZ-syndrome sufferers, who said they greatly benefitted from his treatment. This was, despite criticism from medical professionals, enough proof for journalists, regardless of their signature, to defend the drug’s usage. Without the newspapers, LSD probably would have disappeared quickly as a medical tool. Over time, paradoxically, the cause-related diagnosis KZ-syndrome came to encompass more than just…
A controversial LSD treatment for concentration camp survivors was championed by Dutch newspapers against medical criticism. This book explores how the media’s focus on victimhood blurred the lines of diagnosis and paved the way for the modern concept of PTSD.
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£39.99
This book focuses on the trench diseases—trench fever, trench nephritis and trench foot—and examines how doctors responded to them in the context of the Great War. It details the problems that they faced in tackling these conditions, “new” to military warfare. After an introduction to the subject, the second chapter sketches the socio-economic and scientific context within which the response was mounted. The development of bacteriology, sanitation and medical research in the British Army is examined, as is the structure and role of the wartime RAMC, the main body involved…
This book examines how doctors responded to trench diseases in the Great War. Faced with “new” conditions, a majority view emerged that they were a product of the trenches. This enabled an effective response using public health methods and military discipline.
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