The Western Medical Tradition: 800 BC to AD 1800 [Hardcover]

Lawrence I. Conrad (Author), Michael Neve (Author), Vivian Nutton (Author), Roy Porter (Author), Andrew Wear (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521381355 | ISBN-13: 978-0521381352 | Publication Date: August 25, 1995

The influence of Greek medical practices dating back to the fifth century B.C. has had an immeasurable impact on the development of medicine in the West over the subsequent centuries. This text is designed to cover the history of Western medicine from Classical Antiquity to 1800. As one guiding thread it takes the system of medical ideas that, in large part, went back to the Greeks of the fifth century B.C., and played a major role in the understanding and treatment of health and disease. The influence of Greek medicine spread from the Aegean basin to the rest of the Mediterranean region, to Europe, and then to European settlements overseas. By the nineteenth century, however, this tradition no longer carried the same force or occupied so central a position within medicine. This book charts the influence of this tradition through twenty centuries, examining it in its social and historical context. It is essential reading as a new synthesis for all students of the history of medicine.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Western Medical Tradition is a beautifully produced book....It should not, however, be regarded as a book only for doctors and medical students, for it would sit just as easily on the shelves of anyone with an interest in health and disease." The Lancet

"...probably the best and most authoritative social history of Western medicine available in one volume." Gary B. Ferngren, New England Journal of Medicine

"...the lively presentation, a style that rescues each subject from cliche while it places the history of medicine in a wide social context, one that includes alternative healing, the complicated relationship between religion and medicine, the development of hospitals and medical schools, and an account of how doctors tracked the authentic but hidden world of disease as biological pathology. I highly recommend this book for all physician-philosophers and medical libraries." Alan T. Marty, Jounal of the American Medical Association

"...authoritative, up-to-date, and broad-minded survey....The Western Medical Tradition will no doubt leave its mark on the study and on the teaching of the discipline at universities." Joseph Shatzmiller, Journal of the History of Medicine

"Far more than a historical treatise, this is an interpretive text to broaden the horizons of any serious student of the history of medicine." G. Eknoyan, Choice

"The emphasis on detail may make this text a difficlut one for undergraduates but extremely rewarding..." Alexandra M. Lord, Historical Studies in the Physical Biological Sciences

"...a treasure..." The Historian

Book Description

Dating back to the fifth century B.C., Greek medical practice has significantly influenced Western medical tradition up to 1800 by playing a major role in the understanding and treatment of health and disease. This book charts the influence of this tradition through twenty centuries.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 570 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 25, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521381355
• ISBN-13: 978-0521381352
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,140,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)