Beware the pronouncements from medical authorities on high...
The good, the bad, and the ugly of the winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine are explored in these entertaining biographies of the world's most highly recognised scientists. From unapologetic Nazis to dedicated humanitarians who carried out prize-winning research while being resistance fighters or peace activists, these engaging true stories reveal the depths of both the human strength and depravity of the people who forged medical progress in the twentieth century.
In Heroes & Scoundrels
(Volume 2 in the Boneheads and Brainiacs series), author and medical historian Moira Dolan, MD, continues her fascinating exploration of Nobel Prize in Medicine winners, focusing on the years 19511975. The book's many biographies include the delightful discoveries of a honeybee researcher who persisted through the carpet-bombing of Munich, in-depth reflections on the nature of consciousness from Nobel neuroscientists, and even wild, hard-to-believe self-experimentation in the name of medical progress.
Heroes & Scoundrels also provides readers with an eye-opening ""behind the scenes"" look at what one Nobel winner described as ""a few odd crooks"" in the Nobel Prize business of the post-War era, including researchers engaged in medical research dishonesty and fraud, and self-important scientists who leveraged their notoriety to influence public health affairs. The role of Nobel Prize winners is revealed in public debates about everything from water fluoridation to ""good genes"" and ""bad genes."" One laureate wondered, ""whether mad scientists should really be allowed to police themselves"" in light of the lack of informed consent for vaccine research and modified viruses escaping from labs.
As put by another laureate, the ""medical priesthood"" is due for some critique, and this book will get you thinking.
AUTHOR: Moira Dolan, MD, is a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Medicine and has been a practicing physician for over 30 years. Dr. Dolan is a patient advocate and public speaker who educates patients on their rights and the need for a healthy skepticism of the medical profession. In addition to being the author of Boneheads and Brainiacs: Heroes and Scoundrels of the First 50 Years of the Nobel Prize in Medicine (volume 1 of the Boneheads and Brainiacs series), she is the author of No-Nonsense Guide to Antibiotics: Dangers, Benefits & Proper Use; No-Nonsense Guide to Cholesterol Medications: Informed Consent and Statin Drugs; and No-Nonsense Guide to Psychiatric Drugs, Including Mental Effects of Common Non-Psych Medications. In addition, Dr. Dolan is a contributor to the blog SmartMEDinfo. She maintains a private medical practice in Austin, Texas.
SELLING POINTS: .
Outrageously entertaining: A fascinating, funny, and occasionally disturbing look at the all-too-human side of medical research, from the personal foibles of Nobel laureates to the sometimes dangerous pseudoscience embraced by medical practitioners .
Informative but not boring: A great introduction to the history and practice of medical research for the lay reader, written in an easy, entertaining style .
Humanises medicine: Challenging stereotypes of ivory tower academics pursuing pure truth, Heroes and Scoundrels uncovers the human biases, politics, and sometimes tawdry personal motivations that drive researchers to advance medical science and practice
20 b/w photographs
