Great Men and Women in the History of Medicine

Benjamin Soames breathes life into this chronological compendium of men and women who dramatically changed the practice of preventing, diagnosing, and treating illness and disease. His crisp English accent is easy on the American ear and gives an air of scholarliness to the production. From Hippocrates (460-370 BC) to modern DNA explorers Crick and Watson, the audiobook details groundbreaking medical pioneers and their advances in areas such as scientific methodology, sterilization, vaccination, and the human genome. Period music provides transitions to each new segment. Despite a complete lack of dialogue and a minimum of quotations, Soames conveys a fascination with his topic that is infectious. L.T. (c) AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 1, 2014

Gr 4-7-Anyone who thinks that the history of treating disease and injury is destined to be a boring listen will be remarkably impressed with this presentation. Beginning with Hippocrates in Ancient Greece followed by the work of the Roman Galen, this title chronicles the incredible developments in medicine through the centuries with astounding details and entertaining facts interspersed throughout. Highlights include Ibn Sina's path to writing The Canon of Medicine, which was the most popular medical textbook in the world for centuries; the Renaissance-era anatomical investigations of Andreas Vesalius; William Harvey's detailed descriptions of the circulation of blood; and Alexander Fleming's accidental discovery of penicillin. This audio presentation comes up to the 20th century with the work of Francis Crick, James Watson, and Rosalind Franklin in determining the structure of DNA. Finally, the audiobook concludes with an overview of the many fast-paced medical advances that are occurring in the present. Reader Benjamin Soames brings energy, excitement, and even an element of fun to this detailed publication. His pacing is appropriately varied to increase interest, and his own enthusiasm for the topic really shines through. Highly recommended.-Deanna Romriell, Salt Lake City Public Library, UT

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