Customer Reviews

Exploring the History of Medicine

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a terrific volume which makes it easy to introduce a "grown up" subject to children as young as eight (IMO).

The narrative is packed with facts, character motivations/obstacles, and the subsequent lessons/results. All of this is presented in a gentle, non-frenetic pace unlike comparable titles...a great change! There is a lot for homeschoolers to develop from what is mentioned in these short, packed chapters. Which brings up a good point: for younger students, the best benefit will be from a read-aloud or group presentation. Because the text is so easy to read and interesting, my son devoured this book in a couple of hours and while he loved it, it's value is somewhat diminished if proper discussion doesn't take place and lead to further discovery. Older students who study independently will be intrigued enough to want to pursue further detail on their own.

Your children/students will LOVE working with this and so will you!

This is a really great introduction to the history of medicine for pre-teens, and also contains much useful and interesting information for the older child. This is the fifth science book for pre-teens and teens published by Master Books that I have purchased, and I have been very pleased with all of them.

This book is not generally advertised as being told from a Christian perspective and published by a Christian company. That information should be more effectively advertised.

Having said that, I really like this book. It's not overtly "preachy" and has great content. I've learned more about the History of Medicine while reading this to my kids than I ever knew. The content is not dumbed down for children, but it is easy to digest. It's told in a fun and interesting voice.

The author makes at least one (arbitrary and out of context) reference to the chapter's featured scientist's love of God. The chapter about Pasteur also discusses Darwin, and somehow relates Pasteur's discoveries to disproving Darwin's theories. The relation is a stretch and a completely unnecessary reference to Darwin and evolution.

"Exploring the History of Medicine" provides an overview of advances in medicine from ancient to modern times in the context of the people who discovered key medical advances. It's easy to read and understand and the few technical terms were defined in the text. There were also interesting black and white pictures and illustrations. At the end of each chapter, there were 8-17 questions that tested if you learned the important points in the chapter. The answer key was in the back. The book is suitable for middle schoolers on up.

The author mentioned it when the scientist or doctor being discussed was a Christian. Overall, the book was interesting and well-written. I'd highly recommend it to those interested in gaining a basic overview of advances made in medicine throughout history.


Chapter 1 talked about ancient physicians (Imhotep, Hippocrates, Galen) and what they contributed to medical knowledge. Chapter 2 talked about what Galen got wrong and how that affected medicine in the Middle Ages and beyond. Chapter 3 talked about advances in knowledge about human anatomy by Andreas Vesalius. Chapter 4 talked about the father of modern surgery, Ambroise Pare. Chapter 5 talked about the discoveries about blood circulation made by William Harvey and David Fabricius.

Chapter 6 talked about microscopes and the discoveries Antoni van Leeuwenhoek made using them. Chapter 7 talked about small pox and Edward Jenner. Chapter 8 talked about advances in surgical pain killers made by Humphry Davy and by James Young Simpson. Chapter 9 talked about advances in surgical pain killers made by William Morton. Chapter 10 talked about the discoveries about the spread of diseases made by Ignaz Semmelweiss.

Chapter 11 talked about discoveries made by Louis Pasteur. Chapter 12 talked about Joseph Lister and antiseptic surgery. Chapter 13 talked about Robert Koch and the germ theory of disease. Chapter 14 talked about Louis Pasteur and advances in vaccine development. Chapter 15 talked about James Lind and the cure for scurvy. Chapter 16 talked about Christiaan Eijkman finding a cure for beriberi and Jean Boussingault finding a cure for goiter.

Chapter 17 talked about William Crookes' discovery of cathode rays and Wilhelm Roentgen's discovery of x-rays. Chapter 18 talked about Henri Becquerel and Pierre and Marie Curie and the discovery of radioactive elements. Chapter 19 talked about Gerhard Domagk's discovery of sulfa drugs. Chapter 20 talked about the discovery of penicillin and Alexander Fleming, Howard Florey, and Ernst Chain. Chapter 21 talked about Charles Drew and blood transfusions, Christiaan Barnard and organ transplants, Willem Kolff and the artificial kidney, James Watson and Francis Crick and DNA.

In our homeschool program this year, my son and I are studying the human body. I added this book as part of our curriculum because I thought it would add depth to what we were learning. I'm happy to report that I was right!

This is a very well done book. There are chapters for the child to read (however, some fifth graders may not have the reading skills to read it by themselves) and at the end of each chapter is a list of questions to answer about the reading. A separate teaching manual is not required because the answers are in the back of the book.

At first my son groaned when he saw this book, but once he started reading it those groans turned to "wow, mom, did you know...?!?"

We give this book two enthusiastic thumbs up!!

This book is excellent, I read it in one night and loved it! Being in the medical field, I have studied many facts and theories, the history of how these things came to be always interested me, but with so much to remember, I never had time to explore the history. This book packs in major medical events in history withour any dragging on or babbling.

These stories bring medical discoveries to life! They are written in a clear, concise, easy-to-read manner. I read it for fun, but it could be used for educational purposes, as it is informative and contains short quizzes after each story.

An excellent overview of the history of medicine that integrates history, medicine and biography. Bravo! to John Hudson Tiner for not compromising. Suitable for young and old alike.

This book brings out the major steps and who was responsible for them from the time of Hippocrates forward. It is interesting and contains a review at the end of each chapter. The best part is that it holds the kids' interest, it isn't just a dry book filled with information. We are enjoying this book in our homeschool this year. Though it is written from a Christian perspective and does bring forth information about the faith of the men/women involved, it is not overly religious. For people of the Christian faith, it points out how faith influenced the people who are discussed, but the history is sound, and provides a good background in those major developments of medical history whether or not you believe in Christianity.

Great for anyone interested in learning about History of Medicine. I used most recently with my 7th grader. He is so intrigued by every chapter that he insists on reading it all aloud to me. I am learning more then I ever realized about ancient medicine. I highly recommend this textbook!

For sure a 5 Star book we have here. I had ordered this for my daughter and found myself going through the pages enjoying it as much, if not more, than her. It is very informative. It is so interesting. It is not difficult to read if your child is comfortable with longer text (or the subject).

Great price and nice book for a shelf, especially if your children are interested in such topics. I was happy to order it for my daughter upon such a request, and happy when it arrived; for both of us.