Seeking the Cure

Seeking the Cure: A History of Medicine in America by Ira Rutkow is another book I grabbed off the new books shelf at the library. At only 356 pages, it isn't really as much of a history as a series of chronologically ordered stories about American medical advancements and personalities, and the social and economic consequences. The author clearly explains in the introduction that the book is not comprehensive and that "the personalities and advances that are highlighted are the ones that struck me as most illustrative, important, or, occasionally, simply fascinating". And so it was. The book was well-written, engaging, and covered a broad spectrum of topics and people-- from smallpox inoculation in Colonial times to today's abundance of medical malpractice lawsuits. Definitely a fun read!