Timely Take-aways: Medicine and Medical History

Timely Take-aways for Life-long Learners: Medicine and Medical History

From natural remedies and inoculations to surgical practices, several new works of nonfiction explore the history of medicine and its impact around the world.

Empire of the Scalpel: The History of Surgery
Ira Rutkow, Mar 2022, Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Themes: Medical, History

Tracing the fascinating story of surgery through global history, EMPIRE OF THE SCALPEL shares the key people and breakthroughs that established the foundations for today’s life-saving medical practices.

Take-aways: Educators will find useful examples of how the science of surgery evolved over time. Use these people and practices to demonstrate the importance of ongoing research and perseverance. 

The Empress and the English Doctor
Lucy Ward, Jun 2022, Oneworld Publications, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Themes: History, 18th century, Medical

THE EMPRESS AND THE ENGLISH DOCTOR is a fast-paced, nonfiction narrative telling the story of Catherine the Great’s quest to inoculate the masses against smallpox. Rather than focusing on the science itself, the true story explores the challenges of preventative health care in the 18th century.

Take-aways: Use this story as an example of the importance of political leadership in promoting science. 

The Physick Garden: Ancient Cures for Modern Maladies
Alice Smith, April 2022, Frances Lincoln, an imprint of Quarto Group
Themes: Medical, Natural Remedies, Herbs, History

THE PHYSICK GARDEN shares information about 80 plants used in natural remedies and alternative medicine. Each two-page spread explores a plant, its medicinal uses, along with both ancient tales and modern research about its use in healing.

Take-aways: This book provides a fascinating interdisciplinary approach to medicinal plants. Use it to identify engaging examples that connect science and history topics.

Healing a Divided Nation: 
How the American Civil War Revolutionized Western Medicine
Carole Adrienne, August 2022, Pegasus Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Themes: History, United States, Civil War period, Medical

HEALING A DIVIDED NATION examines the revolutionary advances made in medical science during the Civil War. These innovations transformed healthcare along with a wide range of related areas from education and culture to technology.

Take-aways: The long term impact of the medical advances during the Civil War era are found across disciplines. Demonstrate the key connections between science and history.

Heroes and Scoundrels
Moira Dolan, August 2022, Quill Driver Books, an imprint of Ingram Publisher Services
Themes: Biography, History, Science, Medicine

Part of the Boneheads and Brainiacs series, HEROES AND SCOUNDRELS explores both honest and dishonest medical researchers (1951-1975) connected with the Nobel Prize.

Take-aways: Reflect on both the positive and negative decisions made for medical progress.

Whether helping educators keep up-to-date in their subject-areas, promoting student reading in the content-areas, or simply encouraging nonfiction leisure reading, teacher librarians need to be aware of the best new titles across the curriculum and how to activate life-long learning. - Annette Lamb