Elements Of Modern Medicine

Excerpt from Scientific Features of Modern Medicine AN appointment to the lectureship founded by an appro ciative and generous patron of science, the late Morris K. J esup, Esq., has given me an Opportunity to present some of the striking features of modern medicine which illustrate its genuinely scientific character, its great change from the medi cine of the past, and its hopeful outlook for the future. Obviously no attempt could here be made to survey its whole field; but I have endeavored, through a consideration of selected topics, to depict its spirit. Human beings may be divided into those who do, and those who do not, believe in the efficiency of medicine. The relative number of non believers has always been small, and is doubtless much less now than in the days of the Greeks and of Moliere, but their sentiments have ever been loudly proclaimed. It is hoped that these pages may be read by both classes. They may perchance help to fortify the believers, and, if not actually to convert the dissenters, at least to make their doubts appear less rational. The labors of a learned profession can easily be belittled by those who are less learned. I shall be gratified if what I have here written shall be instrumental in inducing laymen to study the human body and appreciate what men of medicine are now doing to maintain health and to prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure disease. When laymen do this, the influence of medical cults and healing sects is sure to decline. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Presents the need to induce laymen in the late 1800's to study the human body and appreciate what men of medicine were doing to maintain health and to present, diagnose, treat, and cure disease.

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In the years following World War II, medicine won major battles against smallpox, diphtheria, and polio. In the same period it also produced treatments to control the progress of Parkinson's, rheumatoid arthritis, and schizophrenia. It made realities of open-heart surgery, organ transplants, test-tube babies. Unquestionably, the medical accomplishments of the postwar years stand at the forefront of human endeavor, yet progress in recent decades has slowed nearly to a halt. In this winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, medical doctor and columnist James Le Fanu both surveys the glories of medicine in the postwar years and analyzes the factors that for the past twenty-five years have increasingly widened the gulf between achievement and advancement: the social theories of medicine, ethical issues, and political debates over health care that have hobbled the development of vaccines and discovery of new "miracle" cures. While fully demonstrating the extraordinary progress effected by medical research in the latter half of the twentieth century, Le Fanu also identifies the perils that confront medicine in the twenty-first. 16 pages of black-and-white photographs add to what the Los Angeles Times cited as "a sobering, contrarian challenge" to the "nostrum of medicine as a never-ending font of ‘miracle cures'." "[From] a respected science writer ... important information that ... has been overlooked or ignored by many physicians." —New Republic "Provocative and engrossing and informative." —Houston Chronicle "Marvelously written, meticulously researched ... one of the most thought-provoking and important works to appear in recent years." —Choice

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.