History of Medicine

A History of Public Health

Since publication in 1958, George Rosen’s classic book has been regarded as the essential international history of public health. Describing the development of public health in classical Greece, imperial Rome, England, Europe, the United States, and elsewhere, Rosen illuminates the lives and contributions of the field’s great figures. He considers such community health problems as infectious disease, water …

Learn more

Doctors: The Illustrated History of Medical Pioneers

National Book Award-winner and surgeon Sherwin B. Nuland tells the extraordinary story of the development of modern medicine through compelling studies of the great innovators and pioneers. Artfully selected illustrations bring the history of medicine to life as never before. This brilliant collection of life portraits of physicianscientists shows how their deeds and determination paved the way …

Learn more

Native American Medicinal Plants: An Ethnobotanical Dictionary

In Native American Medicinal Plants, anthropologist Daniel E. Moerman describes the medicinal use of more than 2700 plants by 218 Native American tribes. Information — adapted from the same research used to create the monumental Native American Ethnobotany — includes 82 categories of medicinal uses, ranging from analgesics, contraceptives, gastrointestinal aids, hypotensive medicines, sedatives, and toothache remedies.Native American …

Learn more

The Laws of Medicine

Essential, required listening for doctors and patients alike: A Pulitzer Prize-winning author and one of the world’s premiere cancer researchers reveals an urgent philosophy on the little-known principles that govern medicine—and how understanding these principles can empower us all.Over a decade ago, when Siddhartha Mukherjee was a young, exhausted, and isolated medical resident, he discovered a book that …

Learn more

Brave Genius: A Scientist, a Philosopher, and Their Daring Adventures from the French Resistance to the Nobel Prize

The never-before-told account of the intersection of some of the most insightful minds of the 20th century, and a fascinating look at how war, resistance, and friendship can catalyze genius. In the spring of 1940, the aspiring but unknown writer Albert Camus and budding scientist Jacques Monod were quietly pursuing ordinary, separate lives in Paris. After the German invasion and …

Learn more

Vaccinated: One Man’s Quest to Defeat the World’s Deadliest Diseases

His goal—to prevent every disease that commonly attacked children—was unattainable. But Maurice Hilleman came close.Maurice Hilleman is the father of modern vaccines. Chief among his accomplishments are nine vaccines that practically every child gets, rendering formerly deadly diseases—including mumps, rubella, and measles—nearly forgotten. Author Paul A. Offit’s rich and lively narrative details Hilleman’s research and experiences as …

Learn more

Viruses, Plagues, and History: Past, Present and Future

The story of viruses and humanity is a story of fear and ignorance, of grief and heartbreak, and of great bravery and sacrifice. Michael Oldstone tells all these stories as he illuminates the history of the devastating diseases that have tormented humanity, focusing mostly on the most famous viruses. Oldstone begins with …

Learn more

The Remedy: Robert Koch, Arthur Conan Doyle, and the Quest to Cure Tuberculosis

The riveting history of tuberculosis, the world’s most lethal disease, the two men whose lives it tragically intertwined, and the birth of medical science. In 1875, tuberculosis was the deadliest disease in the world, accountable for a third of all deaths. A diagnosis of TB—often called consumption—was a death sentence. Then, in a triumph of medical science, a German …

Learn more