Bad Medicine

Doctors Doing Harm Since Hippocrates

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Medical, Reference, History
Cover of the book Bad Medicine by David Wootton, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David Wootton ISBN: 9780191579561
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: November 22, 2007
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: David Wootton
ISBN: 9780191579561
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: November 22, 2007
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

Just how much good has medicine done over the years? And how much damage does it continue to do? The history of medicine begins with Hippocrates in the fifth century BC. Yet until the invention of antibiotics in the 1930s doctors, in general, did their patients more harm than good. In this fascinating new look at the history of medicine, David Wootton argues that for more than 2300 years doctors have relied on their patients' misplaced faith in their ability to cure. Over and over again major discoveries which could save lives were met with professional resistance. And this is not just a phenomenon of the distant past. The first patient effectively treated with penicillin was in the 1880s; the second not until the 1940s. There was overwhelming evidence that smoking caused lung cancer in the 1950s; but it took thirty years for doctors to accept the claim that smoking was addictive. As Wootton graphically illustrates, throughout history and right up to the present, bad medical practice has often been deeply entrenched and stubbornly resistant to evidence. This is a bold and challenging book - and the first general history of medicine to acknowledge the frequency with which doctors do harm.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Just how much good has medicine done over the years? And how much damage does it continue to do? The history of medicine begins with Hippocrates in the fifth century BC. Yet until the invention of antibiotics in the 1930s doctors, in general, did their patients more harm than good. In this fascinating new look at the history of medicine, David Wootton argues that for more than 2300 years doctors have relied on their patients' misplaced faith in their ability to cure. Over and over again major discoveries which could save lives were met with professional resistance. And this is not just a phenomenon of the distant past. The first patient effectively treated with penicillin was in the 1880s; the second not until the 1940s. There was overwhelming evidence that smoking caused lung cancer in the 1950s; but it took thirty years for doctors to accept the claim that smoking was addictive. As Wootton graphically illustrates, throughout history and right up to the present, bad medical practice has often been deeply entrenched and stubbornly resistant to evidence. This is a bold and challenging book - and the first general history of medicine to acknowledge the frequency with which doctors do harm.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Telling & Duxbury's Planning Law and Procedure by David Wootton
Cover of the book The Roar of the Lion: The Untold Story of Churchill's World War II Speeches by David Wootton
Cover of the book Biocode by David Wootton
Cover of the book Introduction to Company Law by David Wootton
Cover of the book The Art of Public Strategy by David Wootton
Cover of the book Michael Faraday: A Very Short Introduction by David Wootton
Cover of the book The Realm of Criminal Law by David Wootton
Cover of the book Professional Conduct Casebook by David Wootton
Cover of the book Epic Performances from the Middle Ages into the Twenty-First Century by David Wootton
Cover of the book The GPVTS Guide to Success by David Wootton
Cover of the book Idealist Ethics by David Wootton
Cover of the book Thinking about Things by David Wootton
Cover of the book Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs by David Wootton
Cover of the book Dirty Money by David Wootton
Cover of the book Imposing Risk by David Wootton
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy