Medicine: A History of Healing is a book that describes medicine from before we can think of all the way up to now. It shows different cultures of the world and how they practice medicine. The opening chapters describe the chronology of medical history and the development of medical theory and practice around the world. The ebb and flow of knowledge from East to West and the divergence and convergence over time of disparate medical practices is brilliantly explained in the latter chapters. The history of medicine is dealt with thematically, concentrating in individual chapters on particular types of therapy. The achievements of the world’s great healers are also examined. Throughout, the choice the illustrations richly complements the text and provides the readers with a glorious visual panorama of the practice of the healing arts across the world. The final chapter looks specifically at how the two cultures have interacted and examines the reassertion of the holistic approach to health in Western cultures. This book examines the idea of integration rather than divergence, looking at the diverse traditions of healing all over the world, tracing their common roots, and showing how Eastern traditions and Western science are gradually coming together again to the benefit of humanity.
Authors: Roy Porter
Publishers: Marlowe & Company
Date of Publication: 1997
No. of pages: 224