Cholera, Chloroform, and the Science of Medicine

A Life of John Snow

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Medical, Ailments & Diseases, Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology, Reference, History, Public Health
Cover of the book Cholera, Chloroform, and the Science of Medicine by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman ISBN: 9780190285630
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: May 1, 2003
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
ISBN: 9780190285630
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: May 1, 2003
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

The product of six years of collaborative research, this fine biography offers new interpretations of a pioneering figure in anesthesiology, epidemiology, medical cartography, and public health. It modifies the conventional rags to riches portrait of John Snow by synthesizing fresh information about his early life from archival research and recent studies. It explores the intellectual roots of his commitments to vegetarianism, temperance, and pure drinking water, first developed when he was a medical apprentice and assistant in the north of England. The authors argue that all of Snow's later contributions are traceable to the medical paradigm he imbibed as a medical student in London and put into practice early in his career as a clinician: that medicine as a science required the incorporation of recent developments in its collateral sciences--chiefly anatomy, chemistry, and physiology--in order to understand the causes of disease. Snow's theoretical breakthroughs in anesthesia were extensions of his experimental research in respiratory physiology and the properties of inhaled gases. Shortly thereafter, his understanding of gas laws led him to reject miasmatic explanations for the spread of cholera, and to develop an alternative theory in consonance with what was then known about chemistry and the physiology of digestion. Using all of Snow's writings, the authors follow him when working in his home laboratory, visiting patients throughout London, attending medical society meetings, and conducting studies during the cholera epidemics of 1849 and 1854. The result is a book that demythologizes some overly heroic views of Snow by providing a fairer measure of his actual contributions. It will have an impact not only on the understanding of the man but also on the history of epidemiology and medical science.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The product of six years of collaborative research, this fine biography offers new interpretations of a pioneering figure in anesthesiology, epidemiology, medical cartography, and public health. It modifies the conventional rags to riches portrait of John Snow by synthesizing fresh information about his early life from archival research and recent studies. It explores the intellectual roots of his commitments to vegetarianism, temperance, and pure drinking water, first developed when he was a medical apprentice and assistant in the north of England. The authors argue that all of Snow's later contributions are traceable to the medical paradigm he imbibed as a medical student in London and put into practice early in his career as a clinician: that medicine as a science required the incorporation of recent developments in its collateral sciences--chiefly anatomy, chemistry, and physiology--in order to understand the causes of disease. Snow's theoretical breakthroughs in anesthesia were extensions of his experimental research in respiratory physiology and the properties of inhaled gases. Shortly thereafter, his understanding of gas laws led him to reject miasmatic explanations for the spread of cholera, and to develop an alternative theory in consonance with what was then known about chemistry and the physiology of digestion. Using all of Snow's writings, the authors follow him when working in his home laboratory, visiting patients throughout London, attending medical society meetings, and conducting studies during the cholera epidemics of 1849 and 1854. The result is a book that demythologizes some overly heroic views of Snow by providing a fairer measure of his actual contributions. It will have an impact not only on the understanding of the man but also on the history of epidemiology and medical science.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Aldo Manuzio (Aldus Manutius): Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book Fiscal Federalism by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book Human Rights: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book Global Perspectives on Orchestras by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book Political Utopias by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book Teaching Music Improvisation with Technology by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book Introduction to Clinical Neurology by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book Equality and Tradition by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book Inclusion in the American Dream by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book Oxford Textbook of Psychopathology by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book The Economics of Immigration by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book Media and the Well-Being of Children and Adolescents by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book Environmental Justice as Social Work Practice by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book Meta-analysis: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
Cover of the book The Alt-Right by Peter Vinten-Johansen, Howard Brody, Nigel Paneth, Michael Rip, David Zuck, Stephen Rachman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy