Although only some of its content is directly relevant to the field of mental health, this book is very well worth reading … especially in relation to its look at the development of pharmaceutical drugs and (separately) the three main areas – Genetic Engineering, Genetic Screening and Gene Therapy- within the field of genetics.
A revised and updated edition appeared in 2011. The publishers say:
“The medical achievements of the post-war years rank as one of the supreme epochs of human endeavour. Advances in surgical technique, new ideas about the nature of disease and huge innovations in drug manufacture vanquished most common causes of early death,
But, since the mid-1970s the rate of development has slowed, and the future of medicine is uncertain. How has this happened? James Le Fanu’s hugely acclaimed survey of the ‘twelve definitive moments’ of modern medicine and the intellectual vacuum which followed them …”
You can find out more from here.
