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History of Medicine: A Scandalously Short Introduction
Jacalyn Duffin's History of Medicine provides a brief survey of the history of Western medicine with reference to recent scholarly literature and current issues in health care. Organized conceptually around the major fields of medical endeavour - anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, surgery, obstetrics, psychiatry, pediatrics, and family medicine - this book is an accessible overview of medical history as a vibrant component of social, intellectual, and cultural history, and as a research discipline in its own right. Each chapter begins in antiquity and ends in the twentieth century. Throughout, Duffin shows that alternative interpretations can be found for most elements of our past and that topics of interest can go well beyond 'great men' and 'great discoveries' to include ideas, diseases, patients, institutions, and great mistakes. This approach does not mean that the 'great men' (and women) are neglected; rather they appear in context. Medical disasters such as chloramphenicol and thalidomide, are covered along with the triumphs, and examples from Canada's past, largely ignored in other medical histories, are included. A chapter on methodology, suggestions for further reading with special attention to Canadian sources, and a careful index make it possible to research a specific event or historical debate, or to satisfy a more general curiosity. By presenting the material in a structure that resonates with the broad outlines of medical training, and by focusing on the questions asked most often, this text is a relevant guide for students to the history of the profession they are about to embrace, and for those who would teach them, be they physicians or historians. Duffin's clear and entertaining prose and the many illustrations will help to demystify medicine for general readers and for students in other domains, such as history, philosophy, and sociology.
384 pages, Paperback
Published October 30, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 3, 2023
This is a really great textbook and introduction to the history of medicine. Duffin uses an intersectional approach and unlike many textbooks, she is not afraid to insert her own analysis into the narrative. It also contains sections on how history is written/how to write history/how to find good sources etc., all of which is critical for students who use this for a class.
November 29, 2022
i’m sorry jacalyn duffin you seem like a perfectly nice lady but every time i open this book it means i have to write another idis blog again and i wanna kms
September 1, 2022
Very happy to have been able to hear Dr. Duffin speak at the medical humanities conference hosted by Queens Medical students on behalf of Jaclyn Duffin. This is where I learned about her and her work, and was inspired to give this scandalously short introduction to medical history a go.
Well researched and thoughtful - you can tell from the succinctness and compactness all of which make an impact. She is aware of her worldview and biases when giving a recounting of how things were and why they came to be.
It’s fun for me to read about subjects I learn in school, and as the school year picks up again it seems like an appropriate time to finish this book and remind myself about how privileged I am to be able to study such a wonderful discipline.
I liked the chapter about children, it reminded me that things are contextual, even things such as “childhood”. They are defined by the times.
The last chapter that spoke about progress in history as a historical sin opened up my eyes and shifted my worldview. I realized I am presentist, meaning I believe the present is the best and that it is getting better from history. This is a flawed way of thinking, for it is easy to look retroactively back and wonder about how we could have ever been so “backwards”. This was a great chapter.
I would recommend this book to medical students interested in the origins of their discipline!
Well researched and thoughtful - you can tell from the succinctness and compactness all of which make an impact. She is aware of her worldview and biases when giving a recounting of how things were and why they came to be.
It’s fun for me to read about subjects I learn in school, and as the school year picks up again it seems like an appropriate time to finish this book and remind myself about how privileged I am to be able to study such a wonderful discipline.
I liked the chapter about children, it reminded me that things are contextual, even things such as “childhood”. They are defined by the times.
The last chapter that spoke about progress in history as a historical sin opened up my eyes and shifted my worldview. I realized I am presentist, meaning I believe the present is the best and that it is getting better from history. This is a flawed way of thinking, for it is easy to look retroactively back and wonder about how we could have ever been so “backwards”. This was a great chapter.
I would recommend this book to medical students interested in the origins of their discipline!
January 7, 2010
This looks like it would be a huge bore, but it's fascinating and written in an engrossing style.
January 23, 2009
In my opinion, this book sets the standard for both good text books and good history writing. Duffin covers a variety of topics in the history of medicine, never attempting an exhaustive history and instead selecting key events and example to highlight relevant trends and issues. The book is written as an introductory text book for medical students, but it serves the general public just as well.
Perhaps the best thing about the book is Duffin's masterful writing. She keeps the narrative engrossing over 15 chapters, each loaded with pictures, quotes and anecdotes, while never losing focus on the main theme of the chapter. She keeps an even tone as a historian, addressing medical moral issues throughout history; she proposes a simple moral interpretation of the material, instead encouraging the reader to reflect on the topics and how they relate to modern medical practice.
Some of the more interesting and useful elements of the book are the Appendices: A) Recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1901-1998); B) Resources and Research Tools; C) Educational Objectives (by Chapter). While these are most useful for students of history or medicine, they are interesting for the casual reader as well. I especially like the Education Objectives, as they summarize the key ideas of the text, showing the Duffin's purpose really is to clarify ideas with this ideal educational tool.
Perhaps the best thing about the book is Duffin's masterful writing. She keeps the narrative engrossing over 15 chapters, each loaded with pictures, quotes and anecdotes, while never losing focus on the main theme of the chapter. She keeps an even tone as a historian, addressing medical moral issues throughout history; she proposes a simple moral interpretation of the material, instead encouraging the reader to reflect on the topics and how they relate to modern medical practice.
Some of the more interesting and useful elements of the book are the Appendices: A) Recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1901-1998); B) Resources and Research Tools; C) Educational Objectives (by Chapter). While these are most useful for students of history or medicine, they are interesting for the casual reader as well. I especially like the Education Objectives, as they summarize the key ideas of the text, showing the Duffin's purpose really is to clarify ideas with this ideal educational tool.
Want to read
February 22, 2008The author gave the 2008 Noguchi lecture at Johns Hopkins.
July 11, 2012
Interesting reading, raises questions, and it IS a textbook. Great reading for a textbook.
Read
October 6, 2020Informative, but part of the problem of a layperson reading this academic textbook is that there are discussions of diseases and pathology that I have no knowledge of, so instead of spending a week looking up and learning about each medical term I didn't know (which only happened in the later part of each chapter, for each chapter slices out an aspect of medicine such as anatomy or psychology and goes at it chronologically, and the latest history in the medical field is quite dense with Comex terminology) I had to at times make peace with my ignorance and just let shit slide. Won't be the last time, either.
August 1, 2017
Extremely tedious to read... Duffin's style is very dense and boring. She also seems to compulsively view history from a feminist-centric viewpoint, which was quite annoying at times.
December 14, 2018
Pretty good overview of medicine and an interesting take on philosophy with the game "heroes and villains of medicine."
August 2, 2020
Probably the most interesting textbook I've ever read, and an amazing resource for understanding medical history.
June 12, 2016
This book was written for medical students with the purpose of illustrating how the profession while making great advances that dramatically extended human life expectancy also made numerous errors. The message is that the young doctors can expect to see over their careers many changes in what are considered to be the appropriate treatments for specific diseases.
The discussions in this book on all the issues touched (e.g. paediatrics, pharmaceutics, diagnostic equipment, etc.) are all quite fascinating and highly informative for the layman. As the book is simple to read, it is well worth the time required to read it.
The discussions in this book on all the issues touched (e.g. paediatrics, pharmaceutics, diagnostic equipment, etc.) are all quite fascinating and highly informative for the layman. As the book is simple to read, it is well worth the time required to read it.
January 19, 2016
Had read portions of this during my undergrad for a course and found it so interesting that I ended up reading the whole thing - and I'm not one to read a class text for fun. Duffin provides a narrative that is easy to follow and doesn't feel like you're reading a highly academic text. Excellent book and should be required reading for all those interested in the health sciences and medicine.
July 16, 2013
Great book! I found it incredibly insightful as Duffin takes the reader through a brief history of many major aspects of Western Medicine. I found this book to be very well written and so I did not feel like I was reading a textbook at all.
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August 1, 2012Only read some of it for school.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews