The Medical Detectives

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Summary: Gripping articles on epidemiology and public health.
Review: I brought a bunch of books home from my office and this was one of them. I had forgotten about it, and I have just read it again. Roueche was an excellent journalist writing for the New Yorker. He wrote about public health starting way back in 1944. This book is fascinating for several reasons. Not only is it a good explanation of what epidemiologists do for a living (the ones who don't deal with Level 4 viruses but the everyday disasters that still happen), but it is also a great history of public health in the U.S. Roueche was not a disaster monger. Rather he wrote about the men and women who literally had to hunt down clues about diseases, food-borne pathogens, stupid things parents did that led to the development of child safe medicine containers, etc. Some of these men and women put their lives on the line, and continue to do so when there are outbreaks of emerging diseases like Hantavirus in the Four Corners region, dealing with increasing cases of food poisoning, and now with the problems with prions (mad cow disease). He wrote in such a way to give us history and details that many other writers of health history often leave out. The information concerning the increasing amount of rabies being seen in the U.S. was news to me...I always thought it was native to this country, but apparently before the 1950's it was rarely seen. The chapter on aspirin, gave wonderful historical background, and brought attention to the need to make children understand that any medicine, whether flavored or not, is not candy. This book is a good recommendation for students in med school, for those who are interested in public health, and I think for high school science students to see the practical application of what they learn. I am going to go look for more writings of his...they are too enjoyable to miss! Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

Rating:
Summary: excellent, fun to read.
Review: I can not agree any more with the reviews from MI, NJ. I got it fom a used book store, that night I kept reading it till I dozed off after 5 continous hours of reading, I can not stop it, Dr. Roueché' writings will keep your seat warm, you are living in NYC 1940s, even you was not borne yet, he will take you minutes by minutes how they detectively put together those piece of the medical puzzel to make those "police" conclusions. If you are in medicine, get it, It is a great teaching experience.

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Summary: Excellent book on personal hygiene and public health
Review: Many stories in this book reminds me of the famous essay "Silent Spring". The writing style is extremely accessible to every body and yet delivers a significant amount of knowledge, advice, and sometimes wisdom. The author carefully explains medical terms and implications, thus easing the reader's mind without using a medical book. This book is highly recommended to anyone who has a curious mind.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book on personal hygiene and public health
Review: Many stories in this book reminds me of the famous essay "Silent Spring". The writing style is extremely accessible to every body and yet delivers a significant amount of knowledge, advice, and sometimes wisdom. The author carefully explains medical terms and implications, thus easing the reader's mind without using a medical book. This book is highly recommended to anyone who has a curious mind.

Rating:
Summary: Great page-turner for those interested in public health
Review: Roueche did a fabulous job of presenting some fascinating cases of infectious disease and public health. This book is gripping enough to keep the attention of readers who already have knowledge of disease and public health, yet explains complex medical terminology simply enough that anyone should be able to enjoy this book. I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Great page-turner for those interested in public health
Review: Roueche did a fabulous job of presenting some fascinating cases of infectious disease and public health. This book is gripping enough to keep the attention of readers who already have knowledge of disease and public health, yet explains complex medical terminology simply enough that anyone should be able to enjoy this book. I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Really fun to read
Review: This book is a collection of articles, written by Berton Rouche and published in the New Yorker, about medical investigations that took place in the US from the 1940's to late 1980's. Though this book would obviously be interesting to medical students, you don't have to understand much about medicine to enjoy it. Most of the medical terms used are either defined or explained in context, and all facts relevant to the cases are clearly stated. Each case is presented as a mystery that unfolds as the investigators search for the cause of a patient's illness. First, we are given the basic facts of the case: the patient's condition and symptoms, his or her environment and activities at the time of the onset of illness, and the investigator/doctor's initial diagnosis or impressions. Next, we are shown how an investigator makes discoveries leading to a diagnosis and treatment. Finally, we follow the health officials as they track the source of the epidemic.
Though I have no connection to the medical field, I found these articles very interesting, and I think I've learned a lot from them. However, I wish someone could have added a post-script to each of the articles with an update on some of the information. For example, one of the articles (written in 1944) said that 2% of American pigs were carriers of trichinosis. I would like to know what the statistics are now. Besides that minor complaint, I loved the book and would recommend it to any curious reader who loves to learn about new things.

Rating:
Summary: Really fun to read
Review: This book was so enjoyable that I had to ration it out, a chapter a day, to make it last. Otherwise I would have gone through it in a day. Each medical mystery immediately draws you in. You learn a lot, even though the writing level is entertaining and undemanding. I highly recommend this book, and plan to read other books by this author.

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Summary: Medical Mysteries from the 1940s Through The 1980s
Review: This is a nice collection of stories, most of which originally appeared in The New Yorker, detailing medical mysteries from the 1940s through the 1980s. Its interesting to see how medical knowledge has developed over the years and how similar mysteries confront medical investigators time and time again. It would have been nice to have seen some updates of some more recent information, particularly on some of the older cases, but nevertheless this is an enjoyable collection of real life puzzlers.