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Kill or Cure: An Illustrated History of Medicine
Telling the compelling stories behind mankind's never-ending quest to cure every disease, "Kill or Cure" uses an all-new format -- a text-rich narrative combined with DK's beautiful visual design -- to trace the extraordinary history of medicine.
Beginning with early healers, chance discoveries, technological advancement, and "wonder" drugs, and using panels, timelines, and thematic spreads, "Kill or Cure" highlights information about human anatomy, surgical instruments, and medical breakthroughs while telling the dramatic tale of medical progress. Diaries, notebooks, and other first-person accounts tell the fascinating stories from the perspective of people who witnessed medical history firsthand.
Beginning with early healers, chance discoveries, technological advancement, and "wonder" drugs, and using panels, timelines, and thematic spreads, "Kill or Cure" highlights information about human anatomy, surgical instruments, and medical breakthroughs while telling the dramatic tale of medical progress. Diaries, notebooks, and other first-person accounts tell the fascinating stories from the perspective of people who witnessed medical history firsthand.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2013
97 people are currently reading
1016 people want to read
About the author
Steve Parker
1,342 books85 followersSteve Parker is a British science writer of children's and adult's books. He has written more than 300 titles and contributed to or edited another 150.
Born in Warrington, Lancashire, in 1952, Parker attended Strodes College, Egham and gained a BSc First Class Honours in Zoology at the University of Wales, Bangor. He worked as an exhibition scientist at the Natural History Museum, and as editor and managing editor at Dorling Kindersley Publishers, and commissioning editor at medical periodical GP, before becoming a freelance writer in the late 1980s. He is a Senior Scientific Fellow of the Zoological Society of London. Parker is based in Suffolk with his family.
Parker's writing career began with 10 early titles in Dorling Kindersley's multi-award-winning Eyewitness series, from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. He has since worked for more than a dozen children's book publishers and been shortlisted for, among others, the Rhone-Poulenc Science Book Prize, Times Educational Information Book of the Year, and Blue Peter Book Award.
Born in Warrington, Lancashire, in 1952, Parker attended Strodes College, Egham and gained a BSc First Class Honours in Zoology at the University of Wales, Bangor. He worked as an exhibition scientist at the Natural History Museum, and as editor and managing editor at Dorling Kindersley Publishers, and commissioning editor at medical periodical GP, before becoming a freelance writer in the late 1980s. He is a Senior Scientific Fellow of the Zoological Society of London. Parker is based in Suffolk with his family.
Parker's writing career began with 10 early titles in Dorling Kindersley's multi-award-winning Eyewitness series, from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. He has since worked for more than a dozen children's book publishers and been shortlisted for, among others, the Rhone-Poulenc Science Book Prize, Times Educational Information Book of the Year, and Blue Peter Book Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
December 12, 2016
I've read several similar "overview of medical history" books. This book didn't stand out in comparison except for the color photos and drawings. The book was written so that even a middle schooler could understand what was discussed (though I doubt most people that young would stick with it through 390 pages). Though I understand that this is supposed to be accessible to those not familiar with the topics, I was disappointed that the author sometimes settled for a brief, not quite accurate description rather than taking the time to explain something a bit more fully.
The pictures and drawings were usually of the people who made discoveries (sometimes showing them at work) and of the tools they used. There were two-page picture spreads on topics like bloodletting, early microscopes, and malaria that showed pictures of the instruments or timelines of discovery.
The first section of the book covered 50,000 B.C.E to 900 C.E. It surveyed the medical beliefs and practices of people all over the world: Greek, Roman, Egypt, Europe, China & Asia, India, Africa, Native American, and Middle East. This section was 78 pages long, and the author didn't spend much time on any one culture. While he did mention some medicines and medical procedures, he generally focused on describing the belief systems that these practices were based on. So we're briefly told about bloodletting but most of the focus was on describing the idea of Four Humors.
The second section covered 900 C.E. to 1820 C.E. in 62 pages. The third section covered 1820 C.E. to 1920 C.E. in 77 pages. These two sections usually took the form of biographies about people that made significant discoveries during this time period. He talked as much about the person's life as about what they discovered. However, some sections focused on topics, like women being allowed into medical schools, anestesia, and how mental disorders were treated over history. (The table of contents gives a good idea of the topics covered.)
The last section covered 1920 C.E. into the future in 57 pages. While this did cover some modern discoveries and developments, other parts read like advertisements by drug and development companies--gene therapy will save us! Nanotechnology will be awesome! The one thing I've learned from reading about medical history is how people think they understand something but they really don't--and we don't really understand why a lot of what we're doing now works or doesn't. So how can we know what will actually happen in the future? I was disappointed that he didn't discuss more modern discoveries instead of promoting technologies that are dreams, not history.
Overall, though, the book does a good job of giving an overview of medical history from all over the world and throughout time. It will probably appeal most to those who don't want a highly technical book and who love color pictures.
I received this review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.
The pictures and drawings were usually of the people who made discoveries (sometimes showing them at work) and of the tools they used. There were two-page picture spreads on topics like bloodletting, early microscopes, and malaria that showed pictures of the instruments or timelines of discovery.
The first section of the book covered 50,000 B.C.E to 900 C.E. It surveyed the medical beliefs and practices of people all over the world: Greek, Roman, Egypt, Europe, China & Asia, India, Africa, Native American, and Middle East. This section was 78 pages long, and the author didn't spend much time on any one culture. While he did mention some medicines and medical procedures, he generally focused on describing the belief systems that these practices were based on. So we're briefly told about bloodletting but most of the focus was on describing the idea of Four Humors.
The second section covered 900 C.E. to 1820 C.E. in 62 pages. The third section covered 1820 C.E. to 1920 C.E. in 77 pages. These two sections usually took the form of biographies about people that made significant discoveries during this time period. He talked as much about the person's life as about what they discovered. However, some sections focused on topics, like women being allowed into medical schools, anestesia, and how mental disorders were treated over history. (The table of contents gives a good idea of the topics covered.)
The last section covered 1920 C.E. into the future in 57 pages. While this did cover some modern discoveries and developments, other parts read like advertisements by drug and development companies--gene therapy will save us! Nanotechnology will be awesome! The one thing I've learned from reading about medical history is how people think they understand something but they really don't--and we don't really understand why a lot of what we're doing now works or doesn't. So how can we know what will actually happen in the future? I was disappointed that he didn't discuss more modern discoveries instead of promoting technologies that are dreams, not history.
Overall, though, the book does a good job of giving an overview of medical history from all over the world and throughout time. It will probably appeal most to those who don't want a highly technical book and who love color pictures.
I received this review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.
January 10, 2016
This book is amazing. It's packed with so much information that is easy to read despite the density of the whole book. This book covers such a huge topic over such a huge time span, reaching all the way back to ancient civilisations and ending with brand new technologies and discoveries and future directions for medicine. This book is also packed with amazing illustrations, photographs, and replications of art works that it is visually amazing. At times the information in each chapter and section seemed to go beyond the time period of each section (for example, talking about recent innovations in a chapter based in earlier time periods) but the information was tied in with the topic of that chapter and often revisited in a later chapter or section. There could have been more information about more topics added in, but the book is only so big and there's only so much you can put into a book about the history of medicine that there is bound to be things left out. A very enjoyable book about a very interesting topic.
Want to read
October 24, 2015A picture book?
*inner child in me squeals*
Hip hip hooray!(?)
*inner child in me squeals*
Hip hip hooray!(?)
March 23, 2016
Edited review in slight ways from original on October 21, 2013--date of this book's release:
A friend who is very interested in the subject matter of the material of *Kill or Cure: An Illustrated History of Medicine* perhaps summed it up best when he described this book, upon a lengthy perusal, as kind of a coffee table book, which just makes other, actual coffee table books look bad. This is a smart and thorough layman's survey of the history of medicine. I really enjoyed reading this book! It made me interested to seek out more in-depth historical sources on several subjects covered.
One thing I especially appreciated about author Steve Parker's approach to his introduction to medicine's history was his notable attention to several underacknowledged groups' contributions to medicine. I speak specifically of non-Western cultures and women in medicine.
In sum, I highly recommend this book. Thank you for reading my thoughts--I hope they are helpful.
Note: I received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through a GoodReads Giveaway.
A friend who is very interested in the subject matter of the material of *Kill or Cure: An Illustrated History of Medicine* perhaps summed it up best when he described this book, upon a lengthy perusal, as kind of a coffee table book, which just makes other, actual coffee table books look bad. This is a smart and thorough layman's survey of the history of medicine. I really enjoyed reading this book! It made me interested to seek out more in-depth historical sources on several subjects covered.
One thing I especially appreciated about author Steve Parker's approach to his introduction to medicine's history was his notable attention to several underacknowledged groups' contributions to medicine. I speak specifically of non-Western cultures and women in medicine.
In sum, I highly recommend this book. Thank you for reading my thoughts--I hope they are helpful.
Note: I received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through a GoodReads Giveaway.
August 12, 2016
*High quality coffee table book*
What I loved:
- Concise text and detailed information
- Chock full of medical history from pretty much the whole wide world
- Beautiful illustration!! ( I especially like the EM pictures of bacteria and viruses)
- Equally informative and entertaining
What I wasn't fond of:
- kind of heavy-reading as a coffee table book
However, if you're looking for historical information on medical practices as well as current knowledge, I highly recommend this book. :)
What I loved:
- Concise text and detailed information
- Chock full of medical history from pretty much the whole wide world
- Beautiful illustration!! ( I especially like the EM pictures of bacteria and viruses)
- Equally informative and entertaining
What I wasn't fond of:
- kind of heavy-reading as a coffee table book
However, if you're looking for historical information on medical practices as well as current knowledge, I highly recommend this book. :)
November 30, 2016
Pretty interesting. I will say if my field was medicine, I would be very embarrassed by this history. For hundreds of years after the discovery of the scientific method, physicians continued to follow practices that did the patients more harm than good. Like Aristotle asserting heavier bodies fall faster than lighter bodies. A five minute test would have shown him that was wrong, but hey, why do a test when the answer is so obvious. Same with the quacks.
February 19, 2017
I received this as a gift and it was exactly the kind of thing to draw my immediate attention. A fascinating walk through the major moments of change in medical thought and the people behind them, as well as in the way we see the human body and its needs.
February 7, 2022
Ok this guy has like a bachelor's of Science AND 3/4 of his resources were websites. Full of information I learned as a kid. No good.
June 6, 2021
It's not bad, but it reads like an exercise in box-checking. A few pages on Pasteur? Check. Some pages of William Harvey? Check. Something on Florence Nightengale? Check? Some talk of the orignis of western medicine? Check. Some stuff on early medicine in other cultures? Check. There's a little bit on a lot of things, and nothing on any of it. Don't get me wrong - I'm not really expecting an in-depth look at all things medical in a book like this, but I got the sense that Parker's knowledge wasn't that much more expansive than on what he put into the book. The section at the end on the future of medicine was particularly weak.
Still, there were good things, and I learned from the book. Andreas Vesalius was the first to really get into anatomy - and his artist background allowed him to draw very good images of what he wrote about. Ambroise Pare was the first effective surgeon with amputations, as he figured out to clamp down on the arteries rather than cover up all the tissue. William Harvey was a breakthrough with blood, whereas previousy people knew it moved, but didn't realize it was a continuous loop. They thought things went back and forth. Microscopes helped greatly with medicine in early modern Europe. Innoculation came of age, first using cowpox to help overcome smallpox. (That said, for a long time people didn't know how it worked, just that it worked). Women had been in medicine once but were prohibited from it in the High/Late Middle Ages. England didn't women practice medicine until 1876. John Snow's work on cholera helped legitimze epidemology (which he didn't start). Before Pasteur, many still thought disease spread through either miasma or by spontaneous generation. Joseph Lister made strides with antiseptics to help with surgery. Germ theory came in due to work with anthrax, TB, and cholera. Sigmund Freud did work on the mind. Blood groups were identified around 1900 and WWI helped make transfusions common. The word "hormone" first appeared in 1905. In the 1920s, the first diabetes treatment emerged. Pencillan was first used on a human in 1941. Modern chemo began in the 1940s. The first kidney transpant came in 1954 and heart in 1967. X-rays began in 1895. The first test tube baby (IVF) came in the 1970s, and the first in the US in 1981. Living wills were first proposed in 1969. Alzheimer's became prominent in the popular mind in the 1980s.
Still, there were good things, and I learned from the book. Andreas Vesalius was the first to really get into anatomy - and his artist background allowed him to draw very good images of what he wrote about. Ambroise Pare was the first effective surgeon with amputations, as he figured out to clamp down on the arteries rather than cover up all the tissue. William Harvey was a breakthrough with blood, whereas previousy people knew it moved, but didn't realize it was a continuous loop. They thought things went back and forth. Microscopes helped greatly with medicine in early modern Europe. Innoculation came of age, first using cowpox to help overcome smallpox. (That said, for a long time people didn't know how it worked, just that it worked). Women had been in medicine once but were prohibited from it in the High/Late Middle Ages. England didn't women practice medicine until 1876. John Snow's work on cholera helped legitimze epidemology (which he didn't start). Before Pasteur, many still thought disease spread through either miasma or by spontaneous generation. Joseph Lister made strides with antiseptics to help with surgery. Germ theory came in due to work with anthrax, TB, and cholera. Sigmund Freud did work on the mind. Blood groups were identified around 1900 and WWI helped make transfusions common. The word "hormone" first appeared in 1905. In the 1920s, the first diabetes treatment emerged. Pencillan was first used on a human in 1941. Modern chemo began in the 1940s. The first kidney transpant came in 1954 and heart in 1967. X-rays began in 1895. The first test tube baby (IVF) came in the 1970s, and the first in the US in 1981. Living wills were first proposed in 1969. Alzheimer's became prominent in the popular mind in the 1980s.
May 13, 2019
En su mayor parte el contenido del libro es adecuado e interesante para las personas que deseen conocer la historia de la medicina sin profundizar en demasía en cada hecho o sin tantos términos médicos, los pocos que incluye el autor son definidos por este. Sin embargo, existen ciertos capítulos o detalles que ocasionaron disminuyera la calificación:
- Algunos errores en fechas y nombres.
- El capítulo dedicado a genética me perdió totalmente por la forma en la cual esta escrito, debo decir me salte algunas partes.
- La inclusión de “terapias” alternas tal como homeopatía, algo que tanto medicamente está demostrado sus principios son ilógicos y sus resultados nulos, por ello que el autor les dedique un capitulo hará creer a cierto porcentaje de quien lo lea son terapias válidas.
- Eché en falta un capítulo dedicado a toxicología (venenos).
- El autor desaprovecho la oportunidad de recalcar el papel del paciente en la importancia de evitar la resistencia a antibióticos, algo que menciona como de pasada, y aclarar malentendidos y falacias sobre la vacunación equivale a autismo, si bien uno no pensaría quienes tienen esas creencias escogerían este tipo de lectura pero uno nunca sabe.
- Algunos errores en fechas y nombres.
- El capítulo dedicado a genética me perdió totalmente por la forma en la cual esta escrito, debo decir me salte algunas partes.
- La inclusión de “terapias” alternas tal como homeopatía, algo que tanto medicamente está demostrado sus principios son ilógicos y sus resultados nulos, por ello que el autor les dedique un capitulo hará creer a cierto porcentaje de quien lo lea son terapias válidas.
- Eché en falta un capítulo dedicado a toxicología (venenos).
- El autor desaprovecho la oportunidad de recalcar el papel del paciente en la importancia de evitar la resistencia a antibióticos, algo que menciona como de pasada, y aclarar malentendidos y falacias sobre la vacunación equivale a autismo, si bien uno no pensaría quienes tienen esas creencias escogerían este tipo de lectura pero uno nunca sabe.
June 8, 2020
I wish more pop-sci books were picture books. This topic is in my wheelhouse so I feel confident saying that the explanations are generally accurate in their simplifications for a lay-audience. I enjoyed the serendipitous quirks and historical context highlighted in each chapter; it elevated the work from a dumbed-down textbook to recreational reading. My main criticism is the western-centric perspective on how the history of medicine is told. I don't mean that I'm criticising how much of the book focussed on western medicine, but rather than any time any non-European-derived medicine is discussed, it is done so with a sheen of condescension or derision that I found exhausting to plough through on the way to the next Euro-centric discovery.
December 28, 2018
Very interesting timeline of medicine which is written to be understood by a non-scientific audience but can be engaged with and enjoyed even more with some medical background. Although in chronological order, reads more like an encyclopedia than a novel so I needed to take breaks and treat it more like a collection of medical short stories.
October 27, 2024
I had to read this book for my medical course. But I will say that I would have put the book aside if it wasn't for the course. The sources were not sited. Further, it was extremely biased. It was as if reading only one side of history. Also, some of the information was...wrong?! Anyway, don't read the book unless you have to pass an exam.
Read
July 30, 2017interesting to thumb through but not my cup of tea to read cover to cover. More like a history text.
October 7, 2017
Drags at times and a very general overview but well organized and very interesting.
February 25, 2018
(I technically stopped around the turn of the 20th century but this book is still really good.)
May 11, 2018
232 - 2018
September 29, 2019
Fascinating with extensive, illuminating coverage. Easy to follow and well - explained.
April 29, 2020
Full of knowledge and easy reading
October 2, 2020
Bought the book for Becky as it looked quire interesting in the shop. Had a flick though it and wasn't quite as good as I hoped but still interesting.
October 31, 2020
One of my favorites I wish more books contained detailed illustrations instead of just words as it creates a visual representation as well which in combination works well for me.
April 18, 2022
A decent read, not really tought provoking for me but it has nice illustrations and provide correct medical facts
April 11, 2023
A remarkable journey through the history of medicine including excellent illustrations. A concise, and exciting book to read.
June 18, 2024
It's not complete, but it gives a very good idea on the hard journey of healthcare services that we now enjoy.
April 17, 2015
Title: Kill or Cure, an Illustrated History of Medicine
Author: Steve Parker
Kill or Cure is written in chronological order from the earliest “medicines” to the modern technology and future hopes for medicine today. The pictures and captions are scattered throughout the book, and are a very helpful visual for the reader. Steve Parker provides detailed information, and takes the reader through a vivid guide of the strange and compelling history of medicines and medical technology. The book is split into five sections, Beliefs and Traditions, The Rise of Scientific Medicine, Medicine in the Industrial Age, Modern Medicine, and Genes and Future Dreams. The first section, Beliefs and Traditions covers medical history until 900. The section touches on ancient practices used in around the world, from Ancient Greece, the dark ages in Europe, to Native Americans, and African traditions. The second section, The Rise of Scientific Medicine, from 900 to 1820, goes into more detail of people who started thinking of medicine as a science, rather than something brought down by a god or spirit. Sections about early beliefs of the blood system, the first microscopes, and finding a cure to smallpox are some that are mentioned in the section. The third section, Medicine in the Industrial age, from 1820 to 1920, introduces women into the medical field, various sub (word) of the medical world that are being developed at the time, and The Germ Theory of Disease. The fourth section, Modern Medicine, from 1920 to 2000, talks about the first antibiotic, the body re-envisioned, and the development of modern vaccination. The final section Genes and Future Dreams, from 2000-present, lays out the basics of the research people have done on Genetic codes, robots in medicine, death, reviving the clinically dead, and what future medicinal projects might look like.
The book, Kill or Cure is a very thoroughly written book, and explained complex concepts in an understandable way that most students and “the average joe” might get. It highlights the milestones in medical history, and gave me insight I never knew. Medicine is overlooked by many people who take sterile hospitals that are just a phone call away, for granted. This book gave me more reason to always be thankful for the trained professionals that work to help cure others of their ailments. As I read the book, I cringed at the thought of some of the treatments mentioned, and even did more research to gain more knowledge on some. My book, if you flip through it, is highlighted, and has annotations in it that call for me to delve further into the subject. This book is a very good “once over” for the people who are just getting history, as I am, and gives you lots of information that spark you into reading more about it.
Out of five stars, I give the book , Kill or Cure, an Illustrated History of Medicine by Steve Parker, a five. Since this is the first book I have read on the history of medicine, and I don’t completely know the subject or genre, I have nothing to compare it to. But from an informed choice, and decision, this book is very well written, and has information that would interest anyone.
Author: Steve Parker
Kill or Cure is written in chronological order from the earliest “medicines” to the modern technology and future hopes for medicine today. The pictures and captions are scattered throughout the book, and are a very helpful visual for the reader. Steve Parker provides detailed information, and takes the reader through a vivid guide of the strange and compelling history of medicines and medical technology. The book is split into five sections, Beliefs and Traditions, The Rise of Scientific Medicine, Medicine in the Industrial Age, Modern Medicine, and Genes and Future Dreams. The first section, Beliefs and Traditions covers medical history until 900. The section touches on ancient practices used in around the world, from Ancient Greece, the dark ages in Europe, to Native Americans, and African traditions. The second section, The Rise of Scientific Medicine, from 900 to 1820, goes into more detail of people who started thinking of medicine as a science, rather than something brought down by a god or spirit. Sections about early beliefs of the blood system, the first microscopes, and finding a cure to smallpox are some that are mentioned in the section. The third section, Medicine in the Industrial age, from 1820 to 1920, introduces women into the medical field, various sub (word) of the medical world that are being developed at the time, and The Germ Theory of Disease. The fourth section, Modern Medicine, from 1920 to 2000, talks about the first antibiotic, the body re-envisioned, and the development of modern vaccination. The final section Genes and Future Dreams, from 2000-present, lays out the basics of the research people have done on Genetic codes, robots in medicine, death, reviving the clinically dead, and what future medicinal projects might look like.
The book, Kill or Cure is a very thoroughly written book, and explained complex concepts in an understandable way that most students and “the average joe” might get. It highlights the milestones in medical history, and gave me insight I never knew. Medicine is overlooked by many people who take sterile hospitals that are just a phone call away, for granted. This book gave me more reason to always be thankful for the trained professionals that work to help cure others of their ailments. As I read the book, I cringed at the thought of some of the treatments mentioned, and even did more research to gain more knowledge on some. My book, if you flip through it, is highlighted, and has annotations in it that call for me to delve further into the subject. This book is a very good “once over” for the people who are just getting history, as I am, and gives you lots of information that spark you into reading more about it.
Out of five stars, I give the book , Kill or Cure, an Illustrated History of Medicine by Steve Parker, a five. Since this is the first book I have read on the history of medicine, and I don’t completely know the subject or genre, I have nothing to compare it to. But from an informed choice, and decision, this book is very well written, and has information that would interest anyone.
September 13, 2014
Fascinating Look At Medicine From Antiquity To The Future
I quite enjoyed this book. It's a pretty thorough history of medicine, both western allopathic medicine and eastern, African, Indian, you name it, it's probably in here.
Not too technical, not too basic, it successfully straddles the line between the two, making it educational and interesting to people from a broad range across the spectrum of the level of knowledge and education on the subject. From the fairly well-versed to the completely naive, it has something to offer everyone. I'm fairly knowledgeable about medicine, but still felt I learned a lot, especially about medicine's ancient roots, and the loads of info, graphics and photos of ancient medical tools and techniques were fascinating.
When I was a kid, my family doctor was a collector of ancient and antique medical devices and had many display cabinets full of scary-looking instruments, as well as bottles and jars of old medicines, from the early precursors of today's medicines to snake-oil potions which were usually not much more than alcohol and/or cocaine-based feel-good magic elixers. Reading this book was a bit like a trip down memory lane from my childhood, when I was endlessly fascinated by these mysterious displays.
This book has the best of both worlds, being both educational and entertaining. A good read that, for me at least, was a real page turner that made me sigh with annoyance every time I needed to set it down to attend to life's demands.
I quite enjoyed this book. It's a pretty thorough history of medicine, both western allopathic medicine and eastern, African, Indian, you name it, it's probably in here.
Not too technical, not too basic, it successfully straddles the line between the two, making it educational and interesting to people from a broad range across the spectrum of the level of knowledge and education on the subject. From the fairly well-versed to the completely naive, it has something to offer everyone. I'm fairly knowledgeable about medicine, but still felt I learned a lot, especially about medicine's ancient roots, and the loads of info, graphics and photos of ancient medical tools and techniques were fascinating.
When I was a kid, my family doctor was a collector of ancient and antique medical devices and had many display cabinets full of scary-looking instruments, as well as bottles and jars of old medicines, from the early precursors of today's medicines to snake-oil potions which were usually not much more than alcohol and/or cocaine-based feel-good magic elixers. Reading this book was a bit like a trip down memory lane from my childhood, when I was endlessly fascinated by these mysterious displays.
This book has the best of both worlds, being both educational and entertaining. A good read that, for me at least, was a real page turner that made me sigh with annoyance every time I needed to set it down to attend to life's demands.
September 19, 2013
I won this book on a goodreads giveaway--but would have read it anyway since I am particularly interested in science/medical history. It is an excellent, detailed history with great breadth and surprising depth for a book no longer than it is. The illustrations and illustrated timelines are quite good and are not rehashed pictures that you see in general interest medical history articles and the like. The author's style is simple and accessible and though not dumbed-down, it seems more aimed at the layperson and a generalized history than some of the more focused books, such as Emperor of Maladies. I enjoyed it and am certain I will use it as a reference in the future.
Two things: This was an advance reader's copy and there was absolutely no information on the author. I would assume that the actual printing will have some--I think it is important to see the author's credentials and experience, particularly for a factual book. In addition, throughout the book there were references to other chapters or articles in parentheses ex. (see page 24). Although this makes sense if you are using the book for a reference it was a little annoying.
Two things: This was an advance reader's copy and there was absolutely no information on the author. I would assume that the actual printing will have some--I think it is important to see the author's credentials and experience, particularly for a factual book. In addition, throughout the book there were references to other chapters or articles in parentheses ex. (see page 24). Although this makes sense if you are using the book for a reference it was a little annoying.
October 30, 2013
this book was fascinating, fascinating, fascinating!! It is amazing where we have come from when it comes to the beginnings of medicine and to think even the cave man had remedies. If you like medicine or should I say delving into the medical field of the past into the present then this book is for you. I found it very entertaining and informative. I'm sure you remember I Love Lucy with the vitavegamin plot line well this book gives some very interesting remedies and acedotes that were used through the times. Please read this book even if you are not a medical junkie like me. I think anyone would be able to read it and find it entertaining and informative.
September 24, 2013
I won this advanced copy book in the Goodreads free book giveaway. I liked this one, being I am a fan of medical knowledge. It is a non-fiction, of course, but it doesn't read boring or "textbookish", This book would be a great resource for students doing reports or projects for their studies. However, I also found it actually enjoyable for leisure reading. A good one to check out if you enjoy garnering facts about medicine. Thank you, Goodreads.
October 22, 2013
I received Kill or Curse, An Illustrated History of Medicine through a GoodReads Giveaway.
Author Steve Parker had the task of summarizing and cataloging the history of medicine. Truth be told, he did an excellent job. Not only is the chronological history of medicine told but the author also explains medical concepts and defines terms and conditions in an understandable way.
Nice reference book!
Author Steve Parker had the task of summarizing and cataloging the history of medicine. Truth be told, he did an excellent job. Not only is the chronological history of medicine told but the author also explains medical concepts and defines terms and conditions in an understandable way.
Nice reference book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews