Medical Detectives (Hardcover)

by Berton Roueche (Author) "AT ABOUT EIGHT O'CLOCK on Monday morning, September 25, 1944, a ragged, aimless old man of eighty-two collapsed on the sidewalk on Dey Street, near..." (more)
Key Phrases: mercury guanidine, eosinophile count, premature nursery, West Branch, United States, Rocky Mountain (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Contains three fascinating tales of strange illnesses, rare diseases, poisons, and parasites--each tale a thriller of medical suspense by the incomparable Beron Roueche. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher
10 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Times Books; Book Club Edition edition (September 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812909208
• ISBN-13: 978-0812909203
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #769,317 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping articles on epidemiology and public health., March 21, 2001

By	K. L Sadler (Freedom, Pa. USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Medical Detectives (Plume) (Paperback)

I brought a bunch of books home from my office and this was one of them. I had forgotten about it, and I have just read it again. Roueche was an excellent journalist writing for the New Yorker. He wrote about public health starting way back in 1944. This book is fascinating for several reasons. Not only is it a good explanation of what epidemiologists do for a living (the ones who don't deal with Level 4 viruses but the everyday disasters that still happen), but it is also a great history of public health in the U.S. Roueche was not a disaster monger. Rather he wrote about the men and women who literally had to hunt down clues about diseases, food-borne pathogens, stupid things parents did that led to the development of child safe medicine containers, etc. Some of these men and women put their lives on the line, and continue to do so when there are outbreaks of emerging diseases like Hantavirus in the Four Corners region, dealing with increasing cases of food poisoning, and now with the problems with prions (mad cow disease). He wrote in such a way to give us history and details that many other writers of health history often leave out. The information concerning the increasing amount of rabies being seen in the U.S. was news to me...I always thought it was native to this country, but apparently before the 1950's it was rarely seen. The chapter on aspirin, gave wonderful historical background, and brought attention to the need to make children understand that any medicine, whether flavored or not, is not candy. This book is a good recommendation for students in med school, for those who are interested in public health, and I think for high school science students to see the practical application of what they learn. I am going to go look for more writings of his...they are too enjoyable to miss! Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Medical Mysteries, April 3, 2002

By	Julie Reed (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Medical Detectives (Plume) (Paperback)

This book is a collection of articles, written by Berton Rouche and published in the New Yorker, about medical investigations that took place in the US from the 1940's to late 1980's. Though this book would obviously be interesting to medical students, you don't have to understand much about medicine to enjoy it. Most of the medical terms used are either defined or explained in context, and all facts relevant to the cases are clearly stated. Each case is presented as a mystery that unfolds as the investigators search for the cause of a patient's illness. First, we are given the basic facts of the case: the patient's condition and symptoms, his or her environment and activities at the time of the onset of illness, and the investigator/doctor's initial diagnosis or impressions. Next, we are shown how an investigator makes discoveries leading to a diagnosis and treatment. Finally, we follow the health officials as they track the source of the epidemic.
Though I have no connection to the medical field, I found these articles very interesting, and I think I've learned a lot from them. However, I wish someone could have added a post-script to each of the articles with an update on some of the information. For example, one of the articles (written in 1944) said that 2% of American pigs were carriers of trichinosis. I would like to know what the statistics are now. Besides that minor complaint, I loved the book and would recommend it to any curious reader who loves to learn about new things.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating book, worthy of being read over and over, January 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Medical Detectives (Plume) (Paperback)

Berton Rouche wrote for the New Yorker magazine for many years, and received numerous awards for his "Annals of Medicine" department. His tales (and these are that, 30-page articles) of epidemiology chronicle the discovery of diseases new and old, and the scientist-detectives who track these diseases down and find their sources and their cures.

You do not have to be a scientist to appreciate these accounts: being a real-life mystery buff will do. Rouche, now deceased, wrote with an intelligence and clarity that should be the model for--and envy of--all writers.

"The Medical Detectives" includes some of my favorite tales--I've been reading and re-reading Rouche for a long time: "Eleven Blue Men," the discovery on the sidewalks of New York of eleven men who were bright blue; "The Huckleby Hogs," one of the first-ever journalistic accounts of the hazards of mercury poisoning; "Aspirin," about the history, benefits and, yes, the dangers of aspirin.

I highly recommend "The Medical Detectives." Other collections of his articles can be found in your library, and include "Eleven Blue Men," and "The Incurable Wound."