Eleven Blue Men and Other Narratives of Medical Detection

Rating:
Summary: A Recycled Plot
Review: I just got done watching the Pilot for the NBC Series "Medical Investigation" and they used the Medical Investigation that forms the Title Story in this collection. I read the book (and the others in the book's series) back in the 50s or 60s when they were first published and they are still readable and (as shown by the Show recycling the investigation) still interesting.

Recommended for those who want to try their hands at Medical Investigations and Forensics.

Rating:
Summary: Well written, doesn't show its age much
Review: The essays are well-written, but of a different style than we are accustomed to expecting in tales of medical detection. The stories usually are told from the viewpoint of the epidemiologists and are centered around a particular outbreak. A history of each disease is discussed, occasionally including past outbreaks, and he throws in some literary quotations to boot. There are less discussions of ethics and the doctor's emotions than the current genre.

Two of the essays are not centered around a particular outbreak. One is a meditation on gout, and the other is about a visit to an antibiotics lab and factory. Also, a couple of the outbreak stories include how public health officials responded to the outbreaks in order to protect the public. Of especial interest is the tale of the mass immunization of New York City.

The timeframe of the book (late 1940's) shows occasionally: the author anticipates an antibiotic being found to cure every woe. Overall, it's aged quite well, and is still an interesting read.