Physicians, Plagues and Progress: The History of Western medicine from Antiquity to Antibiotics

by Allan Chapman

Since the dawn of time, man has sought to improve his health and that of his neighbour. The human race, around the world, has been on a long and complex journey, seeking to find out how our bodies work, and what heals them. Embarking on a four-thousand-year odyssey, science historian Allan Chapman brings to life the origin and development of medicine and surgery. Writing with pace and rigorous accuracy, he investigates how we have battled against injury and disease, and provides a gripping and highly readable account of the various victories and discoveries along the way. Drawing on sources from across Europe and beyond, Chapman discusses the huge contributions to medicine made by the Greeks, the Romans, the early medieval Arabs, and above all by Western Christendom, looking at how experiment, discovery, and improving technology impact upon one another to produce progress. This is a fascinating, insightful read, enlivened with many colourful characters and memorable stories of inspired experimenters, theatrical surgeons, student pranks, body-snatchers, 'mad-doctors', quacks, and charitable benefactors.

Genres: Science, History, Nonfiction, Medicine

544 pages, Paperback

Published April 20, 2018

Reviews

[Josh Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn’t say this is a topic that sits at the top of my reading interest list. And sitting at 462 pages, this wasn’t going to be a light read. Around the halfway point I lost stamina and skimmed the rest of the book. Chapman writes in a clear way that enabled me to glide through the first half pretty easily. He dismantles a few myths that have developed over the centuries about the progress of learning happening during the so-called “Dark Ages” connected to surgery, medical knowledge, and human anatomy. Obviously there was much to be corrected over the centuries, but the scales of knowledge were not as tipped towards ignorance as some might think. The latter half of the book just didn't hold my attention as well as the first half. But even though this wasn’t my favorite topic and I didn’t finish the entire book, I still walked away with some knowledge and perspective I didn't have before.