Review by Choice Review
Noted author/journalist Pickover (The Math Book, CH, Feb'10, 47-3321; The Physics Book, CH, May'12, 49-5121) discusses 250 significant milestones in the history of medicine, ranging from sutures to CT (computed tomography) scans. Brief narratives (about 300 words or less) about the discovery and its impact on the development of medicine are paired with a stunning illustration/photo on the facing page. The work is organized chronologically, beginning in 10,000 BCE and ending in 2008, with approximately half of the milestones coming from the 20th century. Entries feature indexed terms in bold along with a "See Also" section referring readers to related entries so they can weave individual milestones together. A "Notes and Further Reading" section is available at the end, but in-text citations are not included in individual entries. The book is not intended to be comprehensive or exhaustive, but instead a recreational read when one has a few moments to recognize historical milestones in medicine. It should be noted that, with such a limited number of entries, Pickover selected events based on their appeal to his interests rather than their actual significance. Overall, this collection of medical breakthroughs is a delight to thumb through, but it offers little more than a coffee-table book might. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers. J. P. Kilham University of Connecticut Health Center
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Pickover, a prolific writer and scientist, has selected 250 milestones he believes represent the most important advances in the history of medicine. This book is organized chronologically, starting with entries such as Witch doctor, Urinalysis, and Trepanation and ending with Human cloning. Each entry is just a few paragraphs on one page, with a photo or illustration on the facing page. The illustrations and photographs bring a vivid look at the people, cellular structures, and medical treatment, past and present, and add an extra dimension to the text. There is a brief bibliography for each entry located at the back of the book. A thorough index can lead a browser directly to a particular procedure, person, or topic. Cross-references appear at the end of each article to encouragement jumping around in the book, much as a reader on the Internet would surf through brief articles on several topics. This is the third in a series of books, the other two being The Math Book (2010) and The Physics Book (2011), from Pickover. The book succeeds in making the names, events, and procedures of medical history interesting to general readers. This is not a reference book per se but a work to spur the interests of young readers or to provide a brief history into varied medical research, personalities, illnesses, and treatments. There is a great deal of basic medical history to be learned here whether the topic is cryonics, William Halsted, or sickle-cell anemia, there is solid information for any general reader, from teens to seniors. Recommended for most public libraries.--Stratton, Steve Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
In this collection of one-page essays on medical advancements with facing illustrations, Pickover (The Math Book: From Pythagoras to the 57th Dimension, 250 Milestones in the History of Mathematics) touches on familiar subjects (allergies) and more esoteric ones (the ancient Chinese medical text Huangdi Neijing) and covers a variety of fields including medical art, techniques, devices old and new, drugs, surgery, and causes of disease. While the book has a roughly chronological arrangement, Pickover makes it clear that he is presenting not a comprehensive history but a selection of milestones, people, and developments that he finds interesting. Most essays include references for further reading. VERDICT The writing is lively and the topics are varied and need not be read in any particular order. Pickover intends only to give a brief glimpse of each subject and writes for a wide audience ranging from students to professionals. He achieves his goals, and his brevity and breezy style should appeal to readers used to accessing information quickly on the Internet but who are still interested in picking up a book.-Dick Maxwell, Porter Adventist Hosp. Lib., Denver (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
