The Medical Detectives Volume 2

by Berton Roueché

Mysteries of modern American medicine--involving strange allergies, food poisonings, environmental contaminations, and outbreaks of mass hysteria--are solved in engrossing and instructive narratives conducted by a renowned medical writer

Genres: Medicine, Nonfiction, Mystery, Medical

406 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Berton Roueché was a medical writer who wrote for The New Yorker magazine for almost fifty years. He also wrote twenty books, including Eleven Blue Men (1954), The Incurable Wound (1958), Feral (1974), and The Medical Detectives (1980). An article he wrote for The New Yorker was made into the 1956 film Bigger Than Life, and many of the medical mysteries on the television show House were inspired by Roueché's writings.

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've just seen a b&w episode of Dr. Finlay's Casebook. I could just see him investigating the story that involved an outbreak of typhoid and tracing it to the local bakery that sold only 20 or so loaves of this particular kind of bread a week ('wholewheat' to the posher customers. The common sort prefer white.). That's just how dated this book is.

These middle-class doctors with their non-working middle-class wives do medical detection work about epidemics that have so little relevance to the world now. It all seems to be set in a world which isn't quite historical or yet modern, just post-WWII and no one is very interesting. Technology and communications have made a mockery of this kind of detection and so although quite well written, it's hard to enter into the spirit of the times and be fascinated by the mental processes of working out the cases. Not Dr. S. Holmes at all.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sequel/more Medical Detectives stories: I love epidemiology, medicine, detective stories, and this book. It’s fascinating. True medical detective stories. I read this so many years ago and I would imagine that some of the medical information is out of date, but the epidemiological process remains so riveting.

[Chanel Baron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully told recounts of medical cases; reminded me of House, the tv show, for how exciting and interesting the cases were presented. Also, very interesting to read about medicine conducted in the mid 1900s when they were just developing a lot of diagnostics and medicines we take for granted today (antibiotics, diazepam, pre-MRI, beginning of gel electrophoresis, etc)

[Vader · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not complete it

[Katherine Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Medical Detective books have been in print for quite awhile, which explains why some of the writing is 'dated' - nevertheless this is a fascinating read if you like medical mysteries. The twenty-three chapters offer various conditions, some case-histories more intriguing than others, but each worthy of consideration. Not a light read, nor for one not interested in this genre, but for medical history buffs, these detective narratives are worth at least skimming through to see if something sparks your further interest.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book on the recommendation of one of my professors. These are fun stories in a who-done-it style designed for all ages. Rather than searching for a person, the reader is trying to unravel the cause of a medical problem. I would recommend these books as a fun break from textbooks for any medical student or teens with an interest in medicine.

[jillbertini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating stories about how various epidemiological cases in the US were solved over a period of about 30 years.