Medical Discoveries: Medical Breakthroughs and the People Who Developed Them. THREE VOLUMES - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0787608904 ISBN 13: 9780787608903

Publisher: Uxl, 1997

Synopsis

Over two hundred entries on major innovations in medical and dental care include the individuals credited with the achievement and an explanation of its scientific principles

About this title

From Booklist:

This set, one of Gale's UXL series designed for middle-school students, provides the stories of 215 events or personalities in medical history. Each entry identifies the person(s) behind the breakthrough, the work that led to it, and how the particular advances changed the world we live in. Entries range from 200^-2,500 words in length and are written in straightforward English, enhanced by 150 black-and-white photographs.

Unfamiliar medical terms are often defined right within the entry. In each volume, there is also a six-page glossary and a master index giving volume and page in the set. Arrangement is alphabetical. Much simpler than The Cambridge World History of Human Disease (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1994) and Biographical Dictionary of Medicine (Facts On File, 1990), this set covers subjects from acupuncture to amniocentesis; ibuprofen to laparoscopic surgery, and the Pap test to ultrasound devices. Medical figures from Vesalius to Sabin are included, but the basis for selection of the 215 articles is not given.

Some libraries may have a problem with the spin on the abortion entry, which states, "Abortions are considered medical procedures and are usually performed in hospitals, clinics, or doctor's offices under the supervision of trained staff"; however, a box near the article highlights legal and moral issues surrounding abortion in the U.S. There is a minor error in the article on lasers (they are only used without administering anesthetic to the patient when treating secondary cataracts that may develop after an initial cataract operation) and a more major one in the article on cataract surgery, where it states, mistakenly, "Lasers allow surgeons to work without having to cut the eye"; this is a frequent media error.

This reasonably priced work could be useful for middle-school health, technology, and science classes, as well as in high schools and community colleges, to assist students with weak reading skills. Public libraries may want to purchase where demand for information on medical discoveries exists.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5 Up. This well-crafted resource describes medical and dental innovations that have revolutionized health care and the extraordinary individuals behind the breakthroughs. More than 200 alphabetically arranged entries, ranging from less than a page to six pages in length, provide accurate facts about timely subjects such as AIDS therapies and vaccines, breast implants, cryogenics, mammography, and the separation of Siamese twins. Each piece features the name of the pioneer who is credited with the achievement, a thorough explanation of the scientific principles and discoveries behind it, and a discussion of its impact on contemporary society. Sidebars expand upon concepts in the narrative and showcase related topics. The volumes are profusely illustrated with expertly captioned black-and-white photos. Terms and phrases that appear in boldfaced type within the articles have corresponding entries. See-also references connect readers to other pertinent inventions or discoveries. Each volume has an excellent bibliography, a chronology of medical and dental events, a user-friendly glossary, and a comprehensive master index. This work can be partnered successfully with the six-volume Eureka! Scientific Discoveries and Inventions That Shaped the World (UXL, 1995), which chronicles scientific milestones from the Industrial Revolution to the present in layperson's terms. Both are first-rate purchases.?Hillary Jan Donitz-Goldstein, New York Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Uxl
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0787608904
• ISBN 13: 9780787608903
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 442
• Editor: Travers Bridget, Freiman Fran Locher