Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Epidemic of Care Managed care executives look at solutions to the expense crisis in the American healthcare system.
May 13, 2004
The Speckled Monster: A Historical Tale of Battling Smallpox A new novel looks at court intrigue and the allopathic squabblings that led up to the decision to use variolation in Boston in 1721.
May 10, 2004
Bittersweet: Diabetes, Insulin and the Transformation of Illness A new book examines the patients treated by diabetologist Elliot Joslin before, during, and after the discovery of insulin.
October 14, 2003
The Journal of a Civil War Surgeon A physician's letters from the front detail the perils of practicing medicine during the war.
September 23, 2003
Big Doctoring in America: Profiles in Primary Care Fifteen doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician's assistants tell their stories in Fitzhugh Mullan's new book.
September 02, 2003
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers Writer Mary Roach surveys the many ways cadavers serve the living.
August 27, 2003
Prozac on the Couch Psychiatrist and gender studies scholar Jonathan Michel Metzl unpacks the cultural history of psychiatric therapeutics.
August 12, 2003
Tonight At Noon: A Love Story Charlie Mingus' widow tells the story of her jazz musician husband's struggle with ALS.
March 21, 2003
Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA Timely recognition of this brilliant scientist was undermined as much by her prickly character as by pervasive sexism.
February 03, 2003
Stories Matter: The Role of Narrative in Medical Ethics The skills of literary theory need to find a place in medicine, according to this collection of essays.
January 27, 2003
The Year's Books: 2002 Bioethics and biowarfare titles swamped bookshelves in 2002.
December 31, 2002
As I Live and Breathe: Notes of a Patient-Doctor A memoir follows a physician through chronic illness, internship, and pregnancy.
November 19, 2002
Bodies A first-time novelist examines corruption, scandal, and error in a British hospital.
November 01, 2002
The Terrible Gift: The Brave New World of Genetic Medicine A new book explores directions for medicine and health policy reform.
October 28, 2002
Gracefully Insane A book chronicles the rise and fall of a once-patrician asylum.
October 15, 2002
Performing Social Science Research About Cancer Research identifying barriers that can impede communication between people with cancer and their healthcare providers is presented through the medium of theater.
October 01, 2002
Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago A new book offers a postmortem of the heat-related deaths of a staggering 739 Chicago citizens.
October 01, 2002
Pain: The Fifth Vital Sign Marni Jackson's new book looks at the science, the culture, and the meaning of pain.
September 01, 2002
Assisted Suicide: Finding Common Ground Experts look for a sensible way of regulating assisted suicide.
August 21, 2002
Consumer's Guide to Volunteering for Clinical Trials A new book leads consumers through the pitfalls and practicalities of participating in research.
August 13, 2002