All of the history of medicine in one place - an extensive biographical dictionary of physicians, medical practitioners, and healers from around the world from the ancient times to the present
Introduction Alphabetical Listing of Entries About the Contributors Index
W. F. Bynum is Professor Emeritus of the History of Medicine at University College London and was head of the Academic Unit of the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine (1973-1996). His publications include the Dictionary of the History of Science, Science and the Practice of Medicine in the 19th Century, and the Oxford Dictionary of Scientific Quotations. Helen Bynum is a freelance historian of science and medicine. She was a Wellcome Trust Lecturer in the History of Medicine at Liverpool (1996-2000). Her publications include Tropical Medicine in the 20th Century and Body and City.
W. F. Bynum and Helen Bynum have edited a work of authoritative
biographical coverage, which concentrates on the nuances of medical
practice and the social context within which ideas of health,
disease, and therapy exist. This five-volume work drew on leading
medical scholars worldwide to write biographies of 1,140
individuals. Biographical entries reflect the accomplishments of
the various health professionals within the broader context of the
social history of medicine. This dictionary is meant as a
complement, in internationalism and breadth of coverage, to the
international reference standard covering people in the world of
medicine, the Dictionary of Scientific Biography (1970-80), edited
by C. C. Gillispie. The first volume begins with specially
commissioned authoritative essays, which survey the major themes
within the principal medical traditions of the world. Entries
routinely include a bibliography of both primary and secondary
sources. Readers will appreciate the final volume's comprehensive
index and the appendixes of individuals organized by country, field
of activity, and birth/death years. Recommended. Lower-/upper-level
undergraduates, graduate students, and general readers.
*Choice*
With coverage ranging from Afghanistan (Al-Biruni) to Zambia
(medical missionary David Livingstone), from Egyptian Father of
Medicine Imhotep (c. 2686-30 B.C.E.) to Swiss-born psychologist
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (d. 2004), this dictionary will be a boon for
students and researchers of medical history….Although Western
medicine is emphasized, with surgery the most frequently appearing
specialty, patrons seeking information on alternative and
traditional medical practices will not be disappointed. Medical and
larger academic and public libraries will find this unique and
comprehensive source well worth its price.
*Library Journal*
[F]ills a long-standing gap in English-language reference sources
in the history of medicine….[G]oes way beyond English-speaking and
Continental physicians to include practitioners from around the
world. The editors, W.F. Bynum and Helen Bynum, recruited an
international editorial board of historians of medicine so that the
coverage would be cosmopolitan….[A] major reference resource for
all academic libraries.
*ISIS*
This is an impressive addition to the existing number of
dictionaries of medical or scientific biography which, given the
potential of the subject, is still limited in scope. This
dictionary is particularly to be welcomed for its inclusive
coverage across medical systems, time periods and cultures….The
principle editors have been meticulous in their compilation of what
has been a massive scholarly enterprise….this Dictionary of Medical
Biography should prove to be an essential reference tool in the
social history of medicine, as well as an aid for absorbing
browsing.
*Medical History*
International in scope, the 1,140 medical biographies are written
by a collection of 384 medical scholars from around the globe and
range from ancient history to the present. They represent the
social changes and major trends in medicine….The encyclopedia's
editors, W.F. and Helen Bynum, have done a good job in making the
information eminently accessible as well as aesthetically
appealing. Each volume includes a list of all entries, and handsome
black-and-white photographs and illustrations enhance and augment
the text.
*College & Research Libraries*
These volumes provide a fascinating glimpse into the history of
medicine and a social context within which to explore the lives and
ideas of major figures in the field. Entries are well written,
engaging, and full of useful information for students, researchers,
and curious readers in general. The Dictionary of Medical is highly
recommended for high school, public, community college, medical,
and academic libraries.
*American Reference Books Annual*
[F]ills a big gap….The Bynums have probably produced as good a
Dictionary of Medical Biography as could be compiled. No one is
more qualified to organize large projects: W.F. Bynum placed the
recent history of medicine on the map and demonstrated how energy
and imagination could combine to bring scholars together to work in
groups. His and Helen Bynum's Dictionary of Medical Biography is a
fitting culmination to two distinguished careers.
*Times Literary Supplement*
The most complete work of its kind, the Dictionary of Medical
Biography is essential for any library that services those who seek
to understand the importance of medicine in the lives of people
everywhere. There is simply no modern biographical dictionary of
medicine in any language that is comparable to this in size of
scope.
*Reference Reviews*
Undoubtedly these volumes will become the standard work in this
field….[a] valuable testament to the origins of the breadth and
depth required for the long evolution of a learned profession.
*The Lancet*
Although the study of medical history is no longer focused on the
lives of prominent physicians, biography remains integral to the
field. The extensive and thoughtfully conceived Dictionary of
Medical Biography is therefore valuable. Its five volumes offer
much to those who are interested professionally or avocationally in
the development of the fields of clinical medicine, medical
science, and public health….Both a substantial compilation of
scholarship and a notable administrative feat, the Dictionary of
Medical Biography seems likely to find a variety of uses and users.
It will aid historians, serve as a resource for students, and
provide health professionals and medical scientists with historical
knowledge that will deepen their perspective and enhance their
teaching and writing. It also offers fine browsing.
*The New England Journal of Medicine*
The Dictionary of Medical Biography is not a dry collection of
facts that only a keen student or a medical historian might pore
over. Rather, the insightful and well written essays go beyond
merely listing individuals and recording their medical or
scientific achievements. For one thing, the articles illustrate the
contrasting personalities of some of modern medicine's unlikely
champions….In a world where Western medicine dominates, it is easy
to ignore the diverse and distinct systems of medicine still
prevalent around the world. Helpfully, this dictionary includes
introductory essays on Islamic, Chinese, South Asian, South East
Asian, and Japanese systems of medicine, guiding readers to
biographies of interest. Biographies are written not only to inform
but also to inspire. This compendium is a wonderful counter to
Oscar Wilde's cynicism-Every great man nowadays has his disciples,
and it is always Judas who writes the biography.
*British Medical Journal*
Ask someone to name an important figure in the history of science,
and the familiar names of Einstein or Edison might be the immediate
responses. But try to recall a celebrated doctor, medical
researcher, or health-care activist, and many of us will be forced
to think hard. With the Dictionary of Medical Biography, we now
have a valuable tool to remind us of who the major individuals are
and what role they played in medical history….[a] significant
investment, its quality makes is a worthwhile purchase for academic
and large public libraries.
*Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin*
This exemplary resource, assembled with the help of almost 400
contributors, comprises biographies of well over 1000 individuals
from the medical field, along with a series of essays describing
medical traditions around the world. While major figures like
Galen, Pasteur, and Nightingale are included, so, too, is Vladimir
Negovskii, a Ukranian who pioneered the use of cardiac massage in
resuscitation.
*Library Journal 2006 Best Reference*
While this five-volume work includes the major figures of Western
medicine from Hippocrates and Galen onwards among its 1,140
biographical entries, it also aims for a cosmopolitan approach that
will allow the audience to gain an appreciation for the medical
traditions of other geographical regions. Accordingly, it opens
with introductory essays on the Western medical tradition; the
Islamic medical tradition; medicine in China; medical traditions
South Asia; medical traditions in Southeast Asia; and medicine,
state, and society in Japan before turning to the individual
alphabetical entries. Most entries focus on specific medical
accomplishments and run about a page or less in length, but seminal
figures naturally receive longer and broader treatment. Each entry
provides a guide to primary and secondary bibliographic resources.
Indexes list individuals by country, fields of activity, and
birth/death dates. The material has been written to be
understandable to a general undergraduate-level audience.
*SciTech Book News*
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