Medicine

School Library Journal

Gr 7-12-- A history of medicine, from its crude and often barbaric beginnings to modern times, is presented through the brief biographies of scientists and doctors who advanced the field to what it is today. The book is divided into eight parts, such as ``Ancient Medicine,'' ``The Beginnings of Modern Medicine,'' ``Drugs,'' ``Infectious Disease,'' etc. It can be read straight through, giving readers an understanding of how one discovery led to the next, with the work of one physician building upon the efforts of those who came before. Individually, the biograpical sketches are presented in a lively manner, written in an easy-to-read style, with each discussing the subject's childhood, personal life, and contributions to medical science. Each one is accompanied by one or more black-and-white photographs or reproductions. The book has comfortable print, generous margins, and bold headings. While middle graders will be able to understand the material as presented, upper high school students won't find the information watered-down. To the contrary, they will likely become engrossed in each piece, and want to read more. --Dana McDougald, Cedar Shoals High School, Athens, GA