The Science And Practice Of Medicine

W. F. Bynum argues that 'modern' medicine is built upon foundations established between 1800 and the beginning of World War I.

A foundational textbook on the scientific principles of therapeutic herbalism and their application in medicine • A complete handbook for the medical practitioner • Includes the most up-to-date information on preparations, dosage, and contraindications • By the author of The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal Medical Herbalism contains comprehensive information concerning the identification and use of medicinal plants by chemical structure and physiological effect, the art and science of making herbal medicine, the limitations and potential of viewing herbs chemically, and the challenge to current research paradigms posed by complex plant medicines. It also includes information on toxicology and contraindications, the issues involved in determining dosage and formulation types for an individual, guides to the different measurement systems and conversion tables, and the pros and cons of both industrial and traditional techniques. With additional sections devoted to the principles of green medicine, the history of Western Herbalism, the variety of other medical modalities using medicinal plants, an extensive resource directory, and a discussion of treatments organized by body system, Medical Herbalism is the comprehensive textbook all students and practitioners of clinical herbalism need to develop their healing practices.

"Although physicians make use of science, this book argues that medicine is not itself a science, but rather an interpretive practice that relies heavily on clinical reasoning." "In How Doctors Think, Kathryn Montgomery contends that assuming medicine is strictly a science can have adverse effects. She suggests these can be significantly reduced by recognizing the vital role of clinical judgment."--BOOK JACKET.

More than two million medical students, doctors and other health professionals from around the globe have owned a copy of Davidson’s Principles and Practice of Medicine since it was first published. Today’s readers rely on this beautifully illustrated text to provide up-to-date detail of contemporary medical practice, presented in a style that is concise and yet easy to read. Davidson’s provides the factual knowledge required to practise medicine, explaining it in the context of underlying principles, basic science and research evidence, and shows how to apply this knowledge to the management of patients who present with problems rather than specific diseases. The book has won numerous prizes including being highly commended in the British Medical Association book awards. Davidson’s global perspective is enhanced by the input of an international team of authors and a distinguished International Advisory Board from 17 countries. Building on the foundations laid down by its original editor, Davidson’s remains one of the world’s leading and most respected textbooks of medicine. The underlying principles of medicine are described concisely in the first part of the book, and the detailed practice of medicine within each sub-specialty is described in later system-based chapters. Most chapters begin with a two-page overview of the important elements of the clinical examination, including a manikin to illustrate the key steps in the examination of the relevant system. A practical, problem-based clinical approach is described in the ‘Presenting Problems’ sections, to complement the detailed descriptions of each disease. The text is extensively illustrated, with over 1000 diagrams, clinical photographs, and radiology and pathology images. 1350 text boxes present information in a way suitable for revision, including 150 clinical evidence boxes summarising the results of systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials and 65 ’In Old Age’ boxes highlighting important aspects of medical practice in the older population. A combined index and glossary of medical acronyms contains over 10 000 subject entries. The contents can also be searched comprehensively as part of the online access to the whole book on the StudentConsult platform. Access over 500 self-testing questions with answers linked to the book’s content for further reading. The text uses both SI and non-SI units to make it suitable for readers throughout the globe. A new chapter specifically on Stroke Disease recognises the emergence of Stroke Medicine as a distinct clinical and academic discipline. A rationalisation of the 1350 boxes used throughout the book gives a simpler and clearer presentation of the various categories. New ‘In Adolescence’ boxes recognise the fact that many chronic disorders begin in childhood and become the responsibility of physicians practising adult medicine. These boxes acknowledge the overlap ‘transitional’ phase and highlight the key points of importance when looking after young people. The regular introduction of new authors and editors maintains the freshness of each new edition. On this occasion Dr Ian Penman has joined the editorial team and 18 new authors bring new experience and ideas to the content and presentation of the textbook. An expanded International Advisory Board of 38 members includes new members from several different countries.

Patient management is the central clinical task of medical care. Until the 1970s, there was no generally accepted method of ensuring a scientific, critical approach to clinical decision making. And while traditional clinical authority was under attack, there was increasing concern about the way in which doctors made decisions about patient care. In this book, Jeanne Daly traces the origins, essential features, and achievements of evidence-based medicine and clinical epidemiology over the past few decades. Drawing largely on interviews with key players, she offers unique insights into the ways that practitioners of evidence-based medicine set out to generate scientific knowledge about patient care and how, in the process, they reshaped the way medicine is practiced and administered.