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Jon Queijo

Breakthrough!: How the 10 Greatest Discoveries in Medicine Saved Millions and Changed Our View of the World 1st Edition

by Jon Queijo (Author)

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3.6 on Goodreads

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Why are you alive right now? Chances are, you owe your life to one of the remarkable medical discoveries in this book. Maybe it was vaccines. Or antibiotics. Or X-rays. Revolutionary medical breakthroughs like these haven't just changed the way we treat disease, they've transformed how we understand ourselves and the world we live in. In "Breakthrough! How the 10 Greatest Discoveries in Medicine Saved Millions and Changed Our View of the World," Jon Queijo tells the hidden stories behind history's most amazing medical discoveries. This isn't dry history: These are life-and-death mysteries uncovered, tales of passionate, often-mocked individuals who stood their ground and were proven right. From germs to genetics, the ancient Hippocrates to the cutting edge, these are stories that have changed the world-and, quite likely, saved your life.

ISBN-10

0137137486
ISBN-13

978-0137137480
Edition

1st
Publisher

FT Press
Publication date

March 7, 2010
Language

English
Dimensions

6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
Print length

287 pages
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This very well-written, cogent, and accessible book by freelance writer Queijo will be an important resource, especially for a lay audience. Each of the ten medical discoveries mentioned in the title is really a chapter delimiting the history of medicine. Chapters range from The World's First Physician: Hippocrates and the Discovery of Medicine' to 'A Return to Tradition: The Rediscovery of Alternative Medicine.' This book deserves a very wide readership. Especially useful for general readers, it also will be applicable in undergraduate education across a surprising range of disciplines." Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates, general readers, and researchers/faculty. Reprinted with permission from CHOICE, copyright by the American Library Association.

From the Back Cover

"A wonderfully clear account of the great moments in medicine and a powerful reminder of the possibility of improvement in the fight against illness." --Matt Ridley, author of "Genome" 10 World-Changing Revolutions in Medicine...and the Remarkable Human Discoveries That Made Them Possible - The unforgettable life-or-death stories behind antibiotics, vaccines, DNA, X-rays, and more - What happened, how it happened, and what it means to you today - A colorful cast of characters whose discoveries were often driven not only by personal tragedy, curiosity, and hard work, but petty bickering, dumb luck, and a healthy dose of humor - For anyone interested in science, medicine, and beyond... Why are you alive right now? Chances are, you owe your life to one of the remarkable medical discoveries in this book. Maybe it was vaccines. Or antibiotics. Or X-rays. Revolutionary medical breakthroughs like these haven't just changed the way we treat disease, they've transformed how we understand ourselves and the world we live in. In "Breakthrough!," Jon Queijo tells the hidden stories behind 10 of history's most amazing medical discoveries. This isn't dry history: These are life-and-death mysteries uncovered, tales of passionate, often-mocked individuals who stood their ground and were proven right. From germs to genetics, the ancient Hippocrates to the cutting edge, these are stories that have changed the world-and, quite likely, saved your life.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ FT Press; 1st edition (March 7, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 287 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0137137486
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0137137480
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.19 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,887,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #196 in Histology (Books)
- #284 in Genetics (Books)
- #430 in History of Medicine (Books)

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

47 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

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Ryan

Nine breakthroughs, one uncertainty

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 20, 2011

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I enjoyed most of this book. However, there is a distinct difference between the first 9 breakthroughs, and the 10th "breakthrough".

The first 9 chapters are excellent. The author has a talent for recounting the historical figures and the circumstances they worked within in order to achieve their breakthroughs. These chapters were peppered with interesting individuals, stories, and facts.

However, I must take issue with his final chapter and I will begin with an excerpt from the introduction:

"Along the same lines, others may argue against some of the breakthroughs included here, such as the rediscovery of alternative medicine. I'm thinking of one former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine who declined to review this book in part because "There is no such thing as 'alternative medicine' - only medical methods that work and those that don't" I understand the point but respectfully disagree"

Against the backdrop of such a wonderfully logical and factual book, this 'statement of purpose' so to speak is perplexing. The entire book I read, waiting for his rationalization of alternative medicine. It never came. The 10th chapter is completely devoid of factual support. It is simply an account of where alternative medicine originated. He doesn't appear to even make an effort to show that alternative medicine works. This contrasts so strongly with the rest of the book, it becomes a glaring shortcoming. The first 9 chapters recount discovers that saved millions, perhaps billions, of lives. After reading about the final breakthrough, it isn't clear that alternative medicine has saved a single life.

To me, this is the lynchpin of his argument. Breakthroughs save, or at least improve, lives. However, he doesn't offer a shred of evidence that alternative medicine has saved or improved lives. It may have become clear that I'm skeptical of alternative medicine's claims at this point in my review. In my mind, medicine either produces results or it does not. After reading about his first 9 discoveries, of whose benefits were so easy to appreciate, I was waiting, expecting to have my views of alternative medicine revised. It never happened. His justification of alternative medicine falls utterly flat, and this was very disappointing.

Despite the last chapter, I can still recommend this book. The author does have an incredible job of explaining the what and why of medical advancements and how they improved our lives. And in a way, the extreme contrast between the first 9 breakthroughs, and the 10th (unjustified) breakthrough becomes an unwitting but brutally effective argument against unsupported, mystical alternative medicine treatments.

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Kaspars Melkis

very insightful including the 10th chapter

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 4, 2011

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Very well written and entertaining book about the evolution of the medical science. It gives not only the historic review, but also a greater perspective on human nature, how we make mistakes and endeavor despite critics. Certainly recommended to everyone.

I think that critics of the 10th chapter about the success of the alternative medicine have missed the point. Nowhere the author claims that homeopathy or other types of quackery are working. In fact, he clearly says that they don't but that there is a reason for their popularity, namely, that the medicine of the western world is forgetting that its primary focus is on the patient, not disease. We have become enamored by technological advances that they are no use if the mental state of a patient is aimed towards destruction. It is time to consider wider perspective and holistic systems is a good source for new ideas.

Otherwise it is hard to explain why the United States with the most advanced medical technology and spending more money per patient than any other country is lagging behind in actual medical care. Countries with national health care like Canada or UK are actually doing better with less money. Withing this wider understanding a nationalized health care could save many lives and improve general well-being and be actually cheaper.

There are also an interesting controversy about obesity which has become endemic in certain parts of the world. Gaury Taubs argues that the regular recommendations of eating less and exercising more do not seem to work because doctors are missing greater perspective of what really drives people to eat certain amount of calories. Most doctors do not even care because it is so easy to say that it is a patient's fault for not following the regiment. However, this could be compared to AIDS/HIV epidemic in Africa where many authorities try to deal with the problem by recommending abstaining from sex, instead of providing condoms. It is necessary to invent a "condom" against obesity because abstinence (from sex or food) may work in some individual cases but not in general. This is another case when greater focus on a patient and not only on a disease would be very beneficial.

One person found this helpful

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From Bloodletting to Antibiotics

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 29, 2011

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I thoroughly enjoyed this interesting, informative, and sometimes entertaining book. Because I am not a doctor, I'm neither qualified nor knowledgeable enough to discredit Queijo's list, and I certainly won't jump on the bandwagon of those who are deriding Chapter Ten because of its inclusion of alternative medical treatments. This is primarily because I know of those who have been helped by them and others who have been hurt by the harmful effects of "breakthrough" drugs (meds) designed to cure them.

As I read about the ten breakthroughs, I writhed in pain when thinking of the millions of women who have given birth without help of anesthesia of any sort and of those who had died of childbirth fever because no one knew of the importance of hand washing. I was fascinated with the chapters on X-rays and vaccines. As a child, I swallowed a sugar cube at our local elementary school and hence became invulnerable to polio. From reading Queijo's book, I learned more about Hippocrates and his advice to look at the person, not just the disease. I also learned more about cholera and the role of sanitation in preventing it. As a person living in the first years of the 21st century, it seems hard to believe that at one time, no one understood the importance of clean water.

My absolute favorite chapters, however, were the ones on genetics and the treatment of mental disorders. As a psychology instructor, I already knew most of this information, but the manner in which it was treated is accurate, refreshing, and informative. The author's style is easy to read and understand (without being pedantic), and anyone who reads these chapters will come away wiser.

I've already recommended the book to several of my teaching chums, and I'm recommending it to you too!

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Top reviews from other countries

Rachel

Brilliant and informative, but open to debate

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 5, 2013

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An interesting take on what are classed as the most important medical breakthroughs in history and as the author points out many of them could be taken away and others added in depending on who you asked. The ones provided make interesting reading and detailed, well explained case studies to back up comments made. There was limited use of technical language making it easy for anyone to access and understand, allowing them to partake in the debate of what is an important breakthrough and what isn't. It was very informative without being patronising, and I actually felt like I learnt something during reading, especially about the development of mental health issues which is still something that society seems to think needs to be left unspoken. It is also amazing how far medicine has come in the last 50-60 years ago with many of the techniques being used previous to that seeming almost barbaric now. A real eye-opener.

Maria

studious

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 6, 2011

Verified Purchase

I downloaded this when it was free on kindle. It is a very detailed, serious study of medical breakthroughs & not a short quickly read quirky list. I haven't read it all in detail yet as that will take some time , & it is not light reading. However it is not full of complicated graphs, chemical fomulae or charts. It seems to be mid way between medical personnel level & stating much of what we may already know. The author is an experienced writer of scientific articles & this shows. A very interesting book to which I will return later. Do I agree with all of his list, -no- but as the author seems to realise this, that does not reflect negatively on this book.