What is Medical History?


Book Description

Written as a key introductory textbook for students, this work explores the reasons behind the expansion of the field of the history of medicine and health.




Secrets and Knowledge in Medicine and Science, 1500–1800


Book Description

Secrets played a central role in transformations in medical and scientific knowledge in early modern Europe. As a new fascination with novelty began to take hold from the late fifteenth century, Europeans thirsted for previously unknown details about the natural world: new plants, animals, and other objects from nature, new recipes for medical and alchemical procedures, new knowledge about the human body, and new facts about the way nature worked. These 'secrets' became popular items of commerce and trade, as the quest for new and exclusive bits of information met the vibrant early modern marketplace. Whether disclosed widely in print or kept more circumspect in manuscripts, secrets helped drive an expanding interest in acquiring knowledge throughout early modern Europe. Bringing together international scholars, this volume provides a pan-European and interdisciplinary overview on the topic. Each essay offers significant new interpretations of the role played by secrets in their area of specialization. Chapters address key themes in early modern history and the history of medicine, science and technology including: the possession, circulation and exchange of secret knowledge across Europe; alchemical secrets and laboratory processes; patronage and the upper-class market for secrets; medical secrets and the emerging market for proprietary medicines; secrets and cosmetics; secrets and the body and finally gender and secrets.




Biomaterials Science


Book Description

The second edition of this bestselling title provides the most up-to-date comprehensive review of all aspects of biomaterials science by providing a balanced, insightful approach to learning biomaterials. This reference integrates a historical perspective of materials engineering principles with biological interactions of biomaterials. Also provided within are regulatory and ethical issues in addition to future directions of the field, and a state-of-the-art update of medical and biotechnological applications. All aspects of biomaterials science are thoroughly addressed, from tissue engineering to cochlear prostheses and drug delivery systems. Over 80 contributors from academia, government and industry detail the principles of cell biology, immunology, and pathology. Focus within pertains to the clinical uses of biomaterials as components in implants, devices, and artificial organs. This reference also touches upon their uses in biotechnology as well as the characterization of the physical, chemical, biochemical and surface properties of these materials. - Provides comprehensive coverage of principles and applications of all classes of biomaterials - Integrates concepts of biomaterials science and biological interactions with clinical science and societal issues including law, regulation, and ethics - Discusses successes and failures of biomaterials applications in clinical medicine and the future directions of the field - Cover the broad spectrum of biomaterial compositions including polymers, metals, ceramics, glasses, carbons, natural materials, and composites - Endorsed by the Society for Biomaterials




Ways of Knowing


Book Description

This classic MUP text discusses the historical development of science, technology and medicine in Western Europe and North America from the Renaissance to the present. Combining theoretical discussion and empirical illustration, it redefines the geography of science, technology and medicine.




A Social History of Medicine


Book Description

A Social History of Medicine traces the development of medical practice from the Industrial Revolution right through to the twentieth century. Drawing on a wide range of source material, it charts the changing relationship between patients and practitioners over this period, exploring the impact made by institutional care, government intervention and scientific discovery. The study illuminates the extent to which medical assistance really was available to patients over the period, by focusing on provincial areas and using local sources. It introduces a variety of contemporary medical practitioners, some of them hitherto unknown and with fascinating intricate details of their work. The text offers an extensive thematic survey, including coverage of: * institutions such as hospitals, dispensaries, asylums and prisons * midwifery and nursing * infections and how changes in science have affected disease control * contraception, war, and the NHS.







Thrifty Science


Book Description

If the twentieth century saw the rise of “Big Science,” then the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were surely an age of thrift. As Simon Werrett’s new history shows, frugal early modern experimenters transformed their homes into laboratories as they recycled, repurposed, repaired, and reused their material possessions to learn about the natural world. Thrifty Science explores this distinctive culture of experiment and demonstrates how the values of the household helped to shape an array of experimental inquiries, ranging from esoteric investigations of glowworms and sour beer to famous experiments such as Benjamin Franklin’s use of a kite to show lightning was electrical and Isaac Newton’s investigations of color using prisms. Tracing the diverse ways that men and women put their material possessions into the service of experiment, Werrett offers a history of practices of recycling and repurposing that are often assumed to be more recent in origin. This thriving domestic culture of inquiry was eclipsed by new forms of experimental culture in the nineteenth century, however, culminating in the resource-hungry science of the twentieth. Could thrifty science be making a comeback today, as scientists grapple with the need to make their research more environmentally sustainable?







Health Librarianship


Book Description

Intended for students interested in careers as health sciences librarians, this insightful book presents a current view of trends and issues in the field of health librarianship from leading scholars and practitioners. With health care reform and the Affordable Care Act driving up demand for ready access to health and biomedical information by both health care providers and healthcare consumers, health librarianship plays a critical role in facilitating access to that information. Health Librarianship: An Introduction places health librarianship within the health care context, covering librarianship within this specific environment as well as other perspectives relevant to health librarianship. The book addresses the basic functions of librarianship—for example, management and administration, public services, and technical services—within the health care context as well as issues unique to health librarianship like health literacy, consumer health, and biomedical informatics. This book is an outstanding textbook for library and information sciences classes and will also be of interest to those considering a career change to health librarianship.




Writing a History and Physical


Book Description

Central to providing excellent patient care is excellent communication, for which a well-written History and Physical is crucial. This book is a step-by-step guide to help medical students, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, etc. write a comprehensive, clear, and useful History and Physical. Writing an effective History and Physical is as much an art as science, and this handy guide provides a roadmap for organizing facts in a logical and well-constructed fashion. The text also presents an abridged version for quick reference and a valuable section on how to write daily progress notes. The author's tips pearls, and advice help the reader navigate the principles and goals of the History and Physical Contains more explanations, tips and advice than existing books for what to include and why Memorable good and bad examples reinforce themes in the text