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Dr. Golem - How to Think About Medicine (Hardcover)
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Dr. Golem - How to Think About Medicine (Hardcover)
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List price R502
Loot Price R425
Discovery Miles 4 250
You Save R77 (15%)
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A creature of Jewish mythology, a golem is an animated being made
by man from clay and water who knows neither his own strength nor
the extent of his ignorance. Like science and technology, the
subjects of Harry Collins and Trevor Pinch's previous volumes,
medicine is also a golem, and this Dr. Golem should not be blamed
for its mistakes--they are, after all, "our" mistakes. The problem
lies in its well-meaning clumsiness.
"Dr. Golem" explores some of the mysteries and complexities of
medicine while untangling the inherent conundrums of scientific
research and highlighting its vagaries. Driven by the question of
what to do in the face of the fallibility of medicine, "Dr. Golem
"encourages a more inquisitive attitude toward the explanations and
accounts offered by medical science. In eight chapters devoted to
case studies of modern medicine, Collins and Pinch consider the
prevalence of tonsillectomies, the placebo effect and randomized
control trials, bogus doctors, CPR, the efficacy of Vitamin C in
fighting cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, AIDS cures, and
vaccination. They also examine the tension between the conflicting
faces of medicine: medicine as science versus medicine as a source
of succor; the interests of an individual versus the interests of a
group; and the benefits in the short term versus success rates in
the long term. Throughout, Collins and Pinch remind readers that
medical science is an economic as well as a social consideration,
encapsulated for the authors in the timeless struggle to balance
the good health of the many--with vaccinations, for instance--with
the good health of a few--those who have adverse reactions to the
vaccine.
In an age when the deaths ofresearch subjects, the early
termination of clinical trials, and the research guidelines for
stem cells are front-page news, "Dr. Golem" is a timely analysis of
the limitations of medicine that never loses sight of its
strengths.
General
Imprint: |
University of Chicago Press
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Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
November 2005 |
First published: |
November 2005 |
Authors: |
Harry Collins
• Trevor Pinch
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Dimensions: |
203 x 176 x 25mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
280 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-226-11366-1 |
Categories: |
Books >
Medicine >
General issues >
General
|
LSN: |
0-226-11366-3 |
Barcode: |
9780226113661 |
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