What do you think?
Rate this book
Dr. Golem: How to Think about Medicine
A creature of Jewish mythology, a golem is an animated being made by man from clay and water who knows neither his own strength nor the extent of his ignorance. Like science and technology, the subjects of Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch's previous volumes, medicine is also a golem, and this Dr. Golem should not be blamed for its mistakes—they are, after all, our mistakes. The problem lies in its well-meaning clumsiness.
Dr. Golem explores some of the mysteries and complexities of medicine while untangling the inherent conundrums of scientific research and highlighting its vagaries. Driven by the question of what to do in the face of the fallibility of medicine, Dr. Golem encourages a more inquisitive attitude toward the explanations and accounts offered by medical science. In eight chapters devoted to case studies of modern medicine, Collins and Pinch consider the prevalence of tonsillectomies, the placebo effect and randomized control trials, bogus doctors, CPR, the efficacy of Vitamin C in fighting cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, AIDS cures, and vaccination. They also examine the tension between the conflicting faces of medicine as science versus medicine as a source of succor; the interests of an individual versus the interests of a group; and the benefits in the short term versus success rates in the long term. Throughout, Collins and Pinch remind readers that medical science is an economic as well as a social consideration, encapsulated for the authors in the timeless struggle to balance the good health of the many—with vaccinations, for instance—with the good health of a few—those who have adverse reactions to the vaccine.
In an age when the deaths of research subjects, the early termination of clinical trials, and the research guidelines for stem cells are front-page news, Dr. Golem is a timely analysis of the limitations of medicine that never loses sight of its strengths.
Dr. Golem explores some of the mysteries and complexities of medicine while untangling the inherent conundrums of scientific research and highlighting its vagaries. Driven by the question of what to do in the face of the fallibility of medicine, Dr. Golem encourages a more inquisitive attitude toward the explanations and accounts offered by medical science. In eight chapters devoted to case studies of modern medicine, Collins and Pinch consider the prevalence of tonsillectomies, the placebo effect and randomized control trials, bogus doctors, CPR, the efficacy of Vitamin C in fighting cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, AIDS cures, and vaccination. They also examine the tension between the conflicting faces of medicine as science versus medicine as a source of succor; the interests of an individual versus the interests of a group; and the benefits in the short term versus success rates in the long term. Throughout, Collins and Pinch remind readers that medical science is an economic as well as a social consideration, encapsulated for the authors in the timeless struggle to balance the good health of the many—with vaccinations, for instance—with the good health of a few—those who have adverse reactions to the vaccine.
In an age when the deaths of research subjects, the early termination of clinical trials, and the research guidelines for stem cells are front-page news, Dr. Golem is a timely analysis of the limitations of medicine that never loses sight of its strengths.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published November 15, 2005
9 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 5, 2019
I read the Traditional Chinese edition of it. The following review contains a little bit of thoughts specifically on the Chinese edition.
從兩位作者的辯證態度到譯者李尚仁老師的譯文風格都很喜歡！作為一個信奉現代醫學體系的人來說，這本書其實更多地是從社會學的角度客觀展現了另一方的視角，讀後對堅信乃至於迷信另類醫療（落實到生活實際上來說主要指中醫）的人以及 anti-vaxxer 們多了幾分諒解（。保留參考書目和原文某些重要詞彙的英文也很有幫助，只不過英文部分應該沒有校對，不時出現 trial 變 trail 之類的錯誤⋯⋯很巧的是，在看到書的結尾處柯林斯記錄平區夫婦如何選擇百日咳疫苗的例子時，剛好陪朋友去看病，醫生的診斷結果含糊且不大看好，在決定治療手段之前也恰巧採取了和平區夫婦相似的舉措：翻查該醫生此前發表的論文⋯⋯
從兩位作者的辯證態度到譯者李尚仁老師的譯文風格都很喜歡！作為一個信奉現代醫學體系的人來說，這本書其實更多地是從社會學的角度客觀展現了另一方的視角，讀後對堅信乃至於迷信另類醫療（落實到生活實際上來說主要指中醫）的人以及 anti-vaxxer 們多了幾分諒解（。保留參考書目和原文某些重要詞彙的英文也很有幫助，只不過英文部分應該沒有校對，不時出現 trial 變 trail 之類的錯誤⋯⋯很巧的是，在看到書的結尾處柯林斯記錄平區夫婦如何選擇百日咳疫苗的例子時，剛好陪朋友去看病，醫生的診斷結果含糊且不大看好，在決定治療手段之前也恰巧採取了和平區夫婦相似的舉措：翻查該醫生此前發表的論文⋯⋯
September 21, 2020
This was a great read exploring the hidden uncertainties of medicine. Its arguments are framed in two sets: the individual vs the collective, and the way we interact with medicine. Many people take medicine as a lofty field, unknowable to the masses below, but this book revealed a thoughtful look at just how tremulous medicine's iron pillars of knowledge are.
Between explorations of the surprising success of bogus doctors, to the ambiguous disorders of fibromyalgia and Gulf War Syndrome, to the wild reasons for tonsillectomies, to the astounding work of AIDS advocates in reaching a level of knowledge that allowed them to converse on even footing with doctors and positively influence the ongoing search for an HIV cure - this book shows that in reality, doctors don't know everything and encourages us to pursue an understanding of science for ourselves - to a degree!
For the individual may want to skip a vaccine because of fears of side effects, but the collective whole (and those down the familial line of the individual) will suffer from their choice, even if they have a (slim) leg of fears to stand on. The placebo effect actually has positive effects on some individuals, but when the time comes to conduct studies of life-saving diseases, and we NEED to do randomized controlled trials that involves not treating patients so as to gain a knowledge of what works and what doesn't, we must agonize that we are potentially sacrificing the few for the good of the whole. Along these lines, a surprisingly persuasive line of reasoning is not to dismiss alternative medicine such as acupuncture and herbal remedies; after all, if it doesn't actually harm people and it may help some (including those that modern medicine may be struggling to treat), then why not let them eat large doses of Vitamin C?
Caution is of course necessary - the authors encourage individuals to learn about medicine, but only to a degree that they can make informed decisions when need be. One of the authors chose to not get the recommended whooping cough vaccine because of a potential side effect, choosing instead a foreign variety - which was later adapted by the US as the default. While they turned out to be making the correct informed decision, they caution against those who decry the MMR vaccine as causing autism, based as this argument is on one mother's fears and a single subsequent paper that only looked at a handful of patients - while the author agreed that parents should still be taking the vaccine. Instead, that websites stoke the fears and claims to be superior to those with years of medical experience is a sad extension of their rightful call to interact with medicine on more than just a passive level.
A compelling, interesting read!
Between explorations of the surprising success of bogus doctors, to the ambiguous disorders of fibromyalgia and Gulf War Syndrome, to the wild reasons for tonsillectomies, to the astounding work of AIDS advocates in reaching a level of knowledge that allowed them to converse on even footing with doctors and positively influence the ongoing search for an HIV cure - this book shows that in reality, doctors don't know everything and encourages us to pursue an understanding of science for ourselves - to a degree!
For the individual may want to skip a vaccine because of fears of side effects, but the collective whole (and those down the familial line of the individual) will suffer from their choice, even if they have a (slim) leg of fears to stand on. The placebo effect actually has positive effects on some individuals, but when the time comes to conduct studies of life-saving diseases, and we NEED to do randomized controlled trials that involves not treating patients so as to gain a knowledge of what works and what doesn't, we must agonize that we are potentially sacrificing the few for the good of the whole. Along these lines, a surprisingly persuasive line of reasoning is not to dismiss alternative medicine such as acupuncture and herbal remedies; after all, if it doesn't actually harm people and it may help some (including those that modern medicine may be struggling to treat), then why not let them eat large doses of Vitamin C?
Caution is of course necessary - the authors encourage individuals to learn about medicine, but only to a degree that they can make informed decisions when need be. One of the authors chose to not get the recommended whooping cough vaccine because of a potential side effect, choosing instead a foreign variety - which was later adapted by the US as the default. While they turned out to be making the correct informed decision, they caution against those who decry the MMR vaccine as causing autism, based as this argument is on one mother's fears and a single subsequent paper that only looked at a handful of patients - while the author agreed that parents should still be taking the vaccine. Instead, that websites stoke the fears and claims to be superior to those with years of medical experience is a sad extension of their rightful call to interact with medicine on more than just a passive level.
A compelling, interesting read!
June 5, 2019
Straight-forwardly extends the theoretical framework of Golem: What Everyone Should Know about Science and The Golem at Large: What You Should Know about Technology to medicine. The draw out the tension between medicine as science and medicine as succour, short-term and long-term considerations, and "population average testing" and "specific individual causes" to help study the issues. The various chapters deal with how The Placebo Effect complicates medicine, how difficult it can be to spot bogus doctors, tonsil treatments, alternative medicine, contested diseases, AIDS activism (reprinted from Golem at Large), and vaccine controversies.
The most interesting aspects of this volume is how the authors disagree (slightly, somewhat) on the question of vaccinations. The case studies are not quite as flashy as the ones in the previous books, and overall (As they admit) they move to be "more on the side of science in this book," making it somewhat less interesting a read, compared to the previous volumes.
The most interesting aspects of this volume is how the authors disagree (slightly, somewhat) on the question of vaccinations. The case studies are not quite as flashy as the ones in the previous books, and overall (As they admit) they move to be "more on the side of science in this book," making it somewhat less interesting a read, compared to the previous volumes.
January 31, 2024
Very interesting book that analyses medicine as a science that makes mistakes but also possesses experience in addition to knowledge that can't be replaced by just reading a medical source.
Some very interesting stories inside about bogus doctors (there are so many of them everywhere and some of them are better than "real" doctors due to the experiences).
I learned about the scientific conundrum of vitamin C's potential to cure cancer (in reality not cure but make the conditions of the patients better).
Much more in terms of great stories about chronic fatigue, placebo effects and tonsils debate.
Great book overall.
Some very interesting stories inside about bogus doctors (there are so many of them everywhere and some of them are better than "real" doctors due to the experiences).
I learned about the scientific conundrum of vitamin C's potential to cure cancer (in reality not cure but make the conditions of the patients better).
Much more in terms of great stories about chronic fatigue, placebo effects and tonsils debate.
Great book overall.
April 14, 2020
This book is a very good summary of the important issues in modern medicine today.
December 31, 2021
Even though this is not a particularly recent book, very pertinent in these COVID times. Very accessible and easy to read.
March 6, 2025
left me with more questions than answers
March 24, 2013
I had to read this for school (only a couple of chapters) but I found it to be so interesting and easy to digest (in the way it was written), that I started from the start and went through the entire book. My favorite chapter is the first, Placebo Effect, and seven, The AIDS activists. It's an interesting book which more than just informing is there to evoke thoughts, I find that every chapter had something interesting to add. And I believe that another strong point is that I don't feel there's only one 'side' to the debate over science or medicine, there's no easy pro/con sides to take while reading this. In a way this made me even more confused to what is the right choice, the whole battle between what's good for the individual and what's good for the community. Anyway, I liked it!
June 5, 2008
people think medicine is science and that is a big mistake. This book reveals a lot of the voodoo that we call modern medicine...
November 17, 2007
Thus far--pretty nifty.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews