Medicine and Western Civilization

Medicine and Western Civilization
Author: David J. Rothman
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Total Pages: 468
Release: 1995
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 9780813521909

This fabulous anthology is sure to be a core text for history of medicine and social science classes in colleges across the country. In order to demonstrate how medical research has influenced Western cultural perspectives, the editors have collected original works from 61 different authors around nine major themes (among them "Anatomy and Destiny," "Psyche and Soma," and "The Construction of Pain, Suffering, and Death"). The authors range from Aristotle, the Bible, and Louis Pasteur, to Masters and Johnson, Ernest Hemingway, and Simone de Beauvoir. The primary sources selected to illustrate the themes are well chosen and contrast with each other nicely. However, the brief background material for the selections center around the authors and offer little or no discussion about the selections' relevance to the topics at hand. This book would be best read in a class or group where the texts' meaning in relation to each other can be discussed, but the book can stand alone if the reader is prepared to do some critical thinking.

Exploring the History of Medicine

Exploring the History of Medicine
Author: John Hudson Tiner
Publisher: New Leaf Publishing Group
Total Pages: 161
Release: 1999-04-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1614581517

From surgery to vaccines, man has made great strides in the field of medicine. Quality of life has improved dramatically in the last few decades alone, and the future is bright. But students must not forget that God provided humans with minds and resources to bring about these advances. A biblical perspective of healing and the use of medicine provides the best foundation for treating diseases and injury. In Exploring the World of Medicine, author John Hudson Tiner reveals the spectacular discoveries that started with men and women who used their abilities to better mankind and give glory to God. The fascinating history of medicine comes alive in this book, providing students with a healthy dose of facts, mini-biographies, and vintage illustrations. Includes chapter tests and index.

"My Name is Chellis & I'm in Recovery from Western Civilization"

Author: Chellis Glendinning
Publisher:
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2007
Genre: History
ISBN:

When it came out in 1994, "My Name is Chellis and I'm in Recovery from Western Civilization" quickly became a classic of the ecopsychology movement. By documenting the entanglement of the ecological crisis with modern addictions, the book gives an unusual glimpse into matters of culture, history, politics, and personal consciousness.

Civilization

Civilization
Author: Niall Ferguson
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 432
Release: 2011-11-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1101548029

From the bestselling author of The Ascent of Money and The Square and the Tower “A dazzling history of Western ideas.” —The Economist “Mr. Ferguson tells his story with characteristic verve and an eye for the felicitous phrase.” —Wall Street Journal “[W]ritten with vitality and verve . . . a tour de force.” —Boston Globe Western civilization’s rise to global dominance is the single most important historical phenomenon of the past five centuries. How did the West overtake its Eastern rivals? And has the zenith of Western power now passed? Acclaimed historian Niall Ferguson argues that beginning in the fifteenth century, the West developed six powerful new concepts, or “killer applications”—competition, science, the rule of law, modern medicine, consumerism, and the work ethic—that the Rest lacked, allowing it to surge past all other competitors. Yet now, Ferguson shows how the Rest have downloaded the killer apps the West once monopolized, while the West has literally lost faith in itself. Chronicling the rise and fall of empires alongside clashes (and fusions) of civilizations, Civilization: The West and the Rest recasts world history with force and wit. Boldly argued and teeming with memorable characters, this is Ferguson at his very best.

From Madness to Mental Health

From Madness to Mental Health
Author: Greg Eghigian
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Total Pages: 474
Release: 2009-12-10
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0813549094

From Madness to Mental Health neither glorifies nor denigrates the contributions of psychiatry, clinical psychology, and psychotherapy, but rather considers how mental disorders have historically challenged the ways in which human beings have understood and valued their bodies, minds, and souls. Greg Eghigian has compiled a unique anthology of readings, from ancient times to the present, that includes Hippocrates; Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love, penned in the 1390s; Dorothea Dix; Aaron T. Beck; Carl Rogers; and others, culled from religious texts, clinical case studies, memoirs, academic lectures, hospital and government records, legal and medical treatises, and art collections. Incorporating historical experiences of medical practitioners and those deemed mentally ill, From Madness to Mental Health also includes an updated bibliography of first-person narratives on mental illness compiled by Gail A. Hornstein.

Western Medical Thought from Antiquity to the Middle Ages

Western Medical Thought from Antiquity to the Middle Ages
Author: Mirko Dražen Grmek
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 502
Release: 1998
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780674007956

This history of medical thought from antiquity through the Middle Ages reconstructs the slow transformations and sudden changes in theory and practice that marked the birth and early development of Western medicine. Grmek and his contributors adopt a synthetic, cross-disciplinary approach, with attention to cultural, social, and economic forces.

The Chemical Muse

The Chemical Muse
Author: D. C.A. Hillman, Ph.D.
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2014-09-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1466882298

"The last wild frontier of classical studies." ---The Times (UK) The Chemical Muse uncovers decades of misdirection and obfuscation to reveal the history of widespread drug use in Ancient Rome and Greece. In the city-states that gave birth to Western civilization, drugs were an everyday element of a free society. Often they were not just available, but vitally necessary for use in medicine, religious ceremonies, and war campaigns. Their proponents and users existed in all classes, from the common soldier to the emperor himself. Citing examples in myths, medicine, and literature, D. C. A. Hillman shows how drugs have influenced and inspired the artists, philosophers, and even politicians whose ideas have formed the basis for civilization as we know it. Many of these ancient texts may seem well-known, but Hillman shows how timid, prudish translations have left scholars and readers in the dark about the reality of drug use in the Classical world. Hillman's argument is not simply "pro-drug." Instead, he appeals for an intellectual honesty that acknowledges the use of drugs in ancient societies despite today's conflicting social mores. In the modern world, where academia and university life are often politically charged, The Chemical Muse offers a unique and long overdue perspective on the contentious topic of drug use and the freedom of thought.

Medicine as Culture

Medicine as Culture
Author: Deborah Lupton
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2012-03-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1446258637

Lupton′s newest edition of Medicine as Culture is more relevant than ever. Trudy Rudge, Professor of Nursing, University of Sydney A welcome update of a text that has become a mainstay of the medical sociologist′s library. Alan Radley, Emeritus Professor of Social Psychology, Loughborough University Medicine as Culture introduces students to a broad range of cross-disciplinary theoretical perspectives, using examples that emphasize bodies and visual images. Lupton′s core contrast between lay perspectives on illness and medical power is a useful beginning point for courses teaching health and illness from a socio-cultural perspective. Arthur Frank, Department of Sociology, University of Calgary Medicine as Culture is unlike any other sociological text on health and medicine. It combines perspectives drawn from a wide variety of disciplines including sociology, anthropology, social history, cultural geography, and media and cultural studies. The book explores the ways in which medicine and health care are sociocultural constructions, ranging from popular media and elite cultural representations of illness to the power dynamics of the doctor-patient relationship. The Third Edition has been updated to cover new areas of interest, including: - studies of space and place in relation to the body - actor-network theory as it is applied in research related to medicine - The internet and social media and how they contribute to lay health knowledge and patient support - complementary and alternative medicine - obesity and fat politics. Contextualising introductions and discussion points in every chapter makes Medicine as Culture, Third Edition a rigorous yet accessible text for students. Deborah Lupton is an independent sociologist and Honorary Associate in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Sydney.

Western Civilization in the 21st Century

Western Civilization in the 21st Century
Author: Andrew Targowski
Publisher: Nova Science Publishers
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016-12-29
Genre: Civilization, Modern
ISBN: 9781536107579

This book took the task of conceptualising Western civilisation in the 21st century. It examines Western Civilisation and its encounters from a viewpoint of the impact of rising Global civilisations in the 21st century. This political and technological success of Western civilisation in the last 500 years triggered a dream of spreading around the globe Democracy and liberal Capitalism. Western society was held together by Christian morality (regardless whether someone was a believer or a non-believer or agnostic). The medicine for all shortcomings faced by Western civilisation in the 21st century is offered by Al Gore in his book "The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change" (2013). He thinks that inventions and technology will save Western civilisation. The author of this book argues that vice versa, the rise of certain technologies are the main reason for the decline of Western civilisation. These kind of issues will be investigated in this book and the message is not optimistic, since Westerners, when are poor are wise, and when are better off are stupid. Hence, without practicing wisdom, Western civilisation cannot be revived.

The Little Water Medicine Society of the Senecas

The Little Water Medicine Society of the Senecas
Author: William Nelson Fenton
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
Total Pages: 246
Release: 2002
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780806134475

For the Seneca Iroquois Indians, song is a crucial means of renewing both medicine and heritage. Two or three times a year, the Little Water Medicine Society of western New York meets to renew the potency of its medicine bundles through singing. These bundles have been inherited from eighteenth century Iroquois war parties, handed down from generation to generation. In this long-awaited book, William N. Fenton describes the remarkable ceremonies of one of the least recorded but most significant medicine societies of the Iroquois Indians. Most of the Senecas who were members of the Little Water Society, or Society of Shamans, have passed away, and their knowledge of ceremonial healing and spiritual renewal is fading. Fenton has written this book to preserve knowledge of the ceremonies and songs for the Iroquois people and as a contribution to anthropology, folklore, ethnomusicology, and American Indian studies. In The Little Water Medicine Society of the Senecas, he presents his original 1933 fieldwork, along with details from the published and unpublished works of other researchers, to describe rituals, poetry, and songs drawn from his more than six decades of research among the Six Nations.