History, Medicine, and Science: Nonfiction and Fiction discussion

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The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
This book does an excellent job of contrasting the strong prevailing medical thought which hampered the discovery of the real cause of cholera. The gist of the story is the overcoming of the miasma (smell or transmission of disease through unsanitary conditions associated with the poorest of the poor).

SO, my question is: How can medical standards (or any prevailing philosophy) be recognized? How can we identify when new thinking may over-throw the so called "standard"?

This book includes the story of the major change in thinking that was over-turned. It was a slow and difficult to overcome -- since the BEST AUTHORITIES studies and confirmed the status quo.

How do we identify and challenge status quo prejudices.

Joe wrote: "The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
This book does an excellent job of contrasting the strong prevai..."

joe. thinking is one of the characteristics that most humans do not seem to have-overcoming old ideas has always been a problem. men of the forefront have had to deal with ignorance and persecution to lead the fight against myths and taboos--abetted by religious teachings.
for instance--are you still here despite the prediction of doom?

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World

Are Key breakthrough in science more likely to come from University or academia -- or from those who can think "outside of the box" like John Snow, Albert Einstein, or Galileo?

joe--it seems to me that an idea can come to any one at anytime-it depends on the time period and where the person happens to be--a simple idea like "the Wheel" for instance or someone noticing the correlation between a neighborhood getting sick and the common factor of where they get their drinking water.i for years have taped my patterns and the material for quilting to my light box-then the other day i thought why am i doing this when i could just pin the material to the pattern and not bother with the tape which is hard to get off the surface of the box once i am done.it took quite a while to think of this--just a simple idea but a breakthrough for me.

Hi Bunnie. I love this description--happens often to me too. Why is it that all of the sudden an idea that never would have occurred to me suddenly occurs? I'm wondering if Steven Johnson's book Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation has something worthwhile to say about that...

DR S--I think to believe in a God is the right of everyone

Dr S--strike the above--i have a new laptop and it does things i don't mean it to. i guess that statement is correct for anyone who figures it out on their own-the trouble is this belief is taught to very young children before they have a chance to think for themselves.i am speaking of the belief in a supernatural being that there is no proof of -a heaven that no one has ever seen or returned from --the same with hell-of course if you can convince people of hell you can control them--same with heaven--but for some reason it doesn't seem to result in better and more honest humans.

Dr S, i don't quite see what you mean--i don't understand what spirituality really is--give me a definition--i think what you have to say is as important as anything i have to say--i had no religious upbringing so that accounts for my attitude i guess.i don't see mankind as inherently spiritual-where do they get these ideas?

@Joe: Definitely going to read The Ghost Story. Sounds great.
@ Everyone: I'm in the medical field and am fascinated with historical fiction books and any books that have to do with medical history, esp epidemics, and nurses in the Civil War, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, etc. etc. Any suggestions?
I recommend: The Barbary Coast, which is about bubonic plague in San Francisco.

Dr S. ok than i can say i have a type of spiritualism when i watch animals--on animal planet or the program Nova--because i really enjoy looking at them--to my way of thinking, animals are innocents--they do what they do because of the necessity of life--kill to eat and live --to provide for their young-to protect their young--i fail to see that homosapiens fill that bill-for all the different religious beliefs humans have yet to behave like there is a God or ultimate truth or realization of what ever you call it.greed envy backstabbing,murder describes the human race somewhat. not all but a majority. how come with all the world believing in spirituality and God they are still not Godly

Joe -- I read somewhere that scientists tend not to ask a question until they think they've glimpsed the answer to it, and the what-causes-cholera question is a great case in point. It's hard to even see that you're hampered by prejudice until the truth really slaps you in the head -- and you know how hard the scientific establishment fights to defend its prejudices. I think the only answer is to question EVERY assumption, but that's a lot of work, and many people are just not willing. Especially people with an agenda.