An engrossing, entertaining history of medicine for those who enjoy it told with a heavy dose of blood and guts.
This frequently gruesome history of American medicine, from the Colonial era to the late 1800s, makes a convincing case that the worst thing a sick person could do is seek medical treatment; it could very well be lethal.
In the Colonial era, the word “physician” was used far more loosely than it is today. “At the time of the American Revolution, only 400 out of the approximately 3,500 practicing physicians held medical degrees,” and those degrees could be purchased without need of apprenticeships or formal education. Education and training standards improved in the decades to come, but methods remained stubbornly primitive as the profession was slow to recognize new discoveries and adopt new approaches. In grimly vivid detail, Younker describes such common practices as amputation, bleeding, leeching, purging, trepanning, and uroscopy. She also introduces influential, notable, and infamous practitioners of the times: Samuel Morton, a phrenology enthusiast and collector of skulls; John Morgan and William Shippen, who co-founded the first Colonial medical school in Philadelphia; Thomas Dent Mütter and his vast collection of medical curiosities; and Benjamin Rush, a proponent of extreme bloodletting.
An engrossing, entertaining history of medicine for those who enjoy it told with a heavy dose of blood and guts. (photos, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-942186-328
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Zest Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
A helpful guide full of good, sensible advice to teens feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of major life transitions.
A sympathetic, practical self-help guide for teens facing the end of high school and unable to decide what to do next.
The logical direction for most high school students is continuing their education, whether in a vocational program, a community college or a four-year university. The pressures of the expectations, the preparation and choosing the best option can be overwhelming. And what about the one-third of high school graduates who choose not to continue their education? What is the best path for them? Enlist in the military? Work full time? Travel? Volunteer? Morgan’s handbook outlines the many different options available to teens after high school and provides helpful suggestions on how to pursue each path efficiently and successfully. She covers everything from SAT preparation, writing personal statements and internships to trade school pros and cons and information on what to expect from a life in the military. Anecdotes, brainstorming activities, checklists and journal exercises encourage readers to critically reflect on their options.
A helpful guide full of good, sensible advice to teens feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of major life transitions. (resources, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 8, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-936976-32-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Zest Books
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
Insofar as the reading level of the book for adults is on a par with this effort—for the most part, only the substance has...
This distillation of the best-selling Killing Jesus: A History (2013) retains the original’s melodramatic tone and present-tense narration. Also its political agenda.
The conservative pundit’s account of Jesus’ life and, in brutal detail, death begins with a nonsensically altered title, an arguable claim to presenting a “fact-based book” and, tellingly, a list of “Key Players” (inserted presumably to help young readers keep track of all the names). Like its source, its prose is as purple as can be, often word for word: “There is a power to Jesus’s gait and a steely determination to his gaze.” Harping on “taxes extorted from the people of Judea” as the chief cause of continuing local unrest, the author presents Jewish society as governed with equal force by religious ritual and by the Romans, and he thoroughly demonizes Herod Antipas (“he even looks the part of a true villain”). Alterations for young readers include more illustrations, periodic sidebars, far fewer maps and a streamlining of context so that the focus is squarely on Jesus, with less attention on the historical moment—an unfortunate choice. Assorted notes on 16 various side topics, from a look at Roman roads to the rise of the cross as a Christian symbol, follow. A mix of 19th-century images, photos of ancient sites and artifacts supplement frequent new illustrations (not seen) from Low.
Insofar as the reading level of the book for adults is on a par with this effort—for the most part, only the substance has been simplified—it’s hard to see the value of this iteration. (source list, recommended reading) (Biography. 12-15)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9877-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
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