Explorers of the Body - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

Explorers of the Body is a book by Steven Lehrer that tells the story of epochal medical discoveries which have profoundly affected human health, and the men and women who made them. From the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians to modern medical science, the book covers the gamut of medical advances, among them:

Edward Jenner and smallpox vaccination

Gregor Mendel and genetics

Marie Curie and radioactivity

Jonas Salk and the polio vaccine

William Harvey and the circulation of the blood

Louis Pasteur and rabies vaccination

Joseph Lister and the rise of modern surgery

Critical reception

"It is healthy to have this readable antidote to the medical profession's sanitized portraits of itself...much fascinating information."

"Lots of good medical lore —and juicy."

"The author has accomplished a tour de force."

"An engrossing account of the medical milestones upon which 20th Century medicine is based."

"Factual accounts often stranger and more dramatic than fiction…Among the many lively anecdotes is the story of the unusual collaboration between bacteriologist-writer Paul de Kruif and Sinclair Lewis, which produced the latter's prize-winning novel Arrowsmith.”

"Here, at last, is a history of the great medical discoveries written by an author who refused to wear blinders...Explorers of the Body is a collection of many marvels."

References

Explorers of the Body Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA