The History of Medicine in Twelve Objects by Carol Cooper is a fantastic and fascinating look at how medicine has evolved through the ages. Concisely and clearly written, the book is informative and approachable enough that those with no prior knowledge of the subject matter will not struggle while those who have some familiarity will no doubt find new and interesting titbits of information and may find themselves delving deeper into topics of particular interest. The author uses a dozen medical tools or devices ranging from the trephine which has been used since ancient times to more modern developments like X-Rays and MRI scanners and even devices and implants like prosthetic hips to show how medicine and the management of disease and illness has changed and improved over time. It is amazing how much ingenuity and inventiveness has been involved and how much attitudes and practices have evolved. I found it to be well researched and clearly laid out, and I think anyone with an interest in medicine or health will find it to be an entertaining and informative read.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

The title says it all. A history of medicine condensated in merely 300 pages. Each chapter is dedicated to a particular medical object. Or rather the object is used as an excuse to tell a part of the history of medicine. Some objects are obvious and expected such as the bone saw, the microscope, and the stethoscope. Some are surprising such as the prosthetic hip or the obstetric forceps, these are probably not so obvious. Then we have a lot of interesting facts, which are probably well-known to those who are passionate about the subject, and a kaleidoscope of names. Lots of names. It feels like a marathon, rushed, speedy mention of so many great people who contributed to the medical world. But if the author tried to cram more details into each chapter, we would probably have a chaotic tangle of names, places, and achievements. So the path chosen by the author seems to be the right one even if it`s not up to everyone's liking.
However, there is one thing that needs to be pointed out. The author is using the notation Before Common Era and Common Era. This should not be used. Commonly used and officially used is the Gregorian calendar, which we have been using for centuries with the notation Before Christ and Anno Domini. This has nothing to do with personal feelings or religion. We all should be using what is in official use. Always.

We all go to see a doctor at some time. But, do we ever think about the implements and objects that they use? The discoveries that have helped with diagnoses and care? Each has a history. In this book, readers get a deep dive into twelve of these. Can you guess what any of them are?

Well, to name a few…the bone saw, the microscope, the stethoscope and obstetric forceps. Find out about these and others in this fascinating look at discoveries in the medical world. For each, there is a photo or illustration and a lot of information on the object.

This book would make a good gift for budding medical professionals and others interested in the history of medicine.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book was an excellent guide to the history of medicine, through introduction of various medical devices and techniques. It was pitched at the perfect level, giving history and explanation without condescension or being boring. A very informative and entertaining read.

Award-winning author Dr. Carol Cooper describes the history of medicine through twelve well-known objects that have come to define medicine through the ages.

As someone with an interest in the Health Sciences, this book immediately appealed to me. Being already familiar with these objects and some of their history, I wanted to see what new things I could learn.

I found parts of the book to be quite dry. Many facts and names were listed but there was little in the way of detail.

Other areas of the book, such as the one that focused on anesthesia (The Ether Inhaler and the Conquest of Pain) or the one that focused on the Hypodermic Needle and Syringe, gave a fair amount of anecdotal stories which made those chapters much more interesting.

There is much to be learned in this collection of information about twelve objects brought about
through need, time, and determination.

It was engrossing to read of the trials and errors made along the way to better medical instruments, practices, and outcomes in the field of medicine.

I believe this book is best suited for those with a strong interest in Health Science and Medicine.

Publication Date October 22, 2024
Quarto Publishing Group
White Lion

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This was by far better than I anticipated. Not only is the book informative, but also it's a delight, engaging, and interesting.
I have no connection to medicine whatsoever and mostly all the data provided was new so I can safely say that it ticks all the boxes for me: it's informative and easy to read.

Whistlestop tour of medical instruments

Set out in twelve chapters of litanies of medics, inventors and the diseases or medical needs that inspired them, this history skims through thousands of years of written and material history, giving a very brief introduction to each medical breakthrough. I felt frustrated by the speed each chapter whips through the diseases or medical processes being discussed, barely giving an introduction to the man (almost invariably these inventors, researchers of medics were men, excepting the few you probably already know), what drove him to work on improving the field, and what his answer was, before turning to the next man.

I think that any one of these chapters could have made a better book on its own, or even to have focused on particular examples of an instrument or device in an accessible collection, as there are plenty of medical and health collections in international museums. It could have really been a history about objects when in fact it's about the concepts connected to one; for example, in the chapter on the mask, from the Plague Doctor mask to PPE, it's actually about protecting the patient and the doctor or nurse from infection, on defeating septicaemia—which comes up again and again in the rest of the book—on improving survival rates and the concept of bacterial and viral vectors. That is more than enough for a book on its own, when instead it's relegated to a breathless chapter on masks, goggles and scrubs.

What might have lifted the book would have been to retain the personal and witty tone of the introduction, but the chapters are strong on facts and light on personality. I was looking forward to reading about the history of medicine from a practitioner's point of view, not that of an archivist.

Two and half stars, rounded up to three.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

Set out with each instrument getting its own chapter, this book explains the leaps and bounds that moved the medical profession forwards. Not always for the better in the case of electro shock therapy, giving the reader a well rounded view of the pitfalls of medical advances in certain time periods. From the forceps that aided the labour of a Queen of England to the artifical hip, a wide range of people and times are explored through a medical lens. We don't often see such an in depth study of the actual tools, as opposed to the treatments and outcomes so I really appreciated the deep dive. A nuanced and well researched look at the medical events famous to history, the instruments that made them possible and the people who's innovation saved lives.

Definitely not a book for a general audience but if you like medical history you will appreciate the research put into this book. Told in a way that most would understand.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing me with a digital copy.

This was a fantastic read! The evolution of the medical instruments was so interesting. It's amazing how many people, over centuries or even millenia, contribute to what's in use now. The stories explain how they built on earlier knowledge, made accidental discoveries and used trial and error to play a part. Despite the scientific subject, it was very easy to read. There was little medical jargon and was written in plain English. The chapter on X-ray, however, went a bit over my head, but that's a reflection of me, not the book!

This was an interesting look at how the history of medicine progressed over time and the tools that allowed healthcare to improve drastically. Each of the twelve tools had their own chapter, and within that chapter similar tools that came before or after or even other inventions that led to the creation of the tool focused on were also described. There were interesting facts and tidbits speckled throughout, and historical cases/patients were talked about in relation to the tool or progression of medicine itself. If you are at all interested in medicine, I think you would like this book.

Fascinating - and not something I'd normally read, but so interesting!
I think this book is for just about everyone - they just don't know it.
People are often curious about everything and the evolution of medicine as described using medical objects is an engaging read!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am personally not a huge non fiction reader, but as a fan of medical history, I couldn't resist this. And I'm so glad I got the chance to read it! It's an incredibly interesting read, and full of fantastic anecdotal tidbits. This will be a good choice for anyone who enjoys the more "real" elements of history. This was a thoroughly enjoyable piece of writing, and I can't wait to recommend it to history buffs and med students alike.

A wise selection of 12 objects in medicine.
I particularly found the author’s commentary on the evolution of each item and how they helped medicine and societies interesting and invaluable.

This seems like a fairly niche topic to make a history book about but everything ends up being very interesting and well described. I wouldn't say it's for everyone but definitely if the title gets your attention you are going to enjoy it.