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This lively history of childbirth begins with colonial days, when childbirth was a social event, and moves on to the gradual medicalization of childbirth in America as doctors forced midwives out of business and to the home-birth movement of the 1980’s. Widely praised when it was first published in 1977, the book has now been expanded to bring the story up to date. In a new chapter and epilogue, Richard and Dorothy Wertz discuss the recent focus on delivering perfect babies, with its emphasis on technology, prenatal testing, and Caesarean sections. They argue that there are many viable alternatives―including out-of-hospital births―in the search for the best birthing system.Review of the first edition:“Highly readable, extensively documented, and well illustrated…A welcome addition to American social history and women’s studies. It can also be read with profit by health planners, hospital administrators, ‘consumers’ of health care, and all those who are concerned with improving the circumstances associated with childbirth.”―Claire Elizabeth Fox, bulletin of the History of Medicine“A fascinating, brilliantly documented history not merely of childbirth, but of men’s attitudes towards women, the effect of a burgeoning medical profession on our very conception of maternity and motherhood, and the influence of religion on medical technology and science.”―Thomas J. Cottle, Boston Globe“This superb book…is both an impeccably documented recitation of the chronological history of medical intervention in American childbirth and a sociological analysis of the various meanings given to childbirth by individuals, interested groups, and American society as a whole.”―Barbara Howe, American Journal of SociologyRichard W. Wertz, a builder in Westport, Massachusetts, is formerly an associate professor of American history at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Dorothy C. Wertz, is a research professor at the School of Public Health, Boston University

If it weren't for mitochondria, scientists argue, we'd all still be single-celled bacteria. Indeed, these tiny structures inside our cells are important beyond imagining. Without mitochondria, we would have no cell suicide, no sculpting of embryonic shape, no sexes, no menopause, no aging.In this fascinating and thought-provoking book, Nick Lane brings together the latest research in this exciting field to show how our growing insight into mitochondria has shed light on how complex life evolved, why sex arose (why don't we just bud?), and why we age and die. These findings are of fundamental importance, both in understanding life on Earth, but also in controlling our own illnesses, and delaying our degeneration and death. Readers learn that two billion years ago, mitochondria were probably bacteria living independent lives and that their capture within larger cells was a turning point in the evolution of life, enabling the development of complex organisms. Lane describes how mitochondria have their own DNA and that its genes mutate much faster than those in the nucleus. This high mutation rate lies behind our aging and certain congenital diseases. The latest research suggests that mitochondria play a key role in degenerative diseases such as cancer. We also discover that mitochondrial DNA is passed down almost exclusively via the female line. That's why it has been used by some researchers to trace human ancestry daughter-to-mother, to "Mitochondrial Eve," giving us vital information about our evolutionary history.Written by Nick Lane, a rising star in popular science, Power, Sex, Suicide is the first book for general readers on the nature and function of these tiny, yet fascinating structures.

This book is about the discovery that the human brain has its own unique way of healing. For centuries we believed that the price we paid for our brain’s complexity was that, compared to other organs, it was fixed and unregenerative — unable to recover from damage or illness. In his revolutionary new book, Norman Doidge turns this belief on its head.The phenomenon of neuroplasticity — the discovery that the brain can change its own structure and function in response to mental experience — is the most important development in our understanding of the brain and mind since the beginning of modern science. Here, Doidge shows how the amazing process of neuroplastic healing really works. When it is understood, it is often possible to radically improve — and even cure — many conditions thought to be irreversible.Doidge introduces us to the doctors, therapists, and patients who are healing the brain without surgery or medication. We meet patients who have alleviated years of chronic pain; children on the autistic spectrum, or with ADD or learning disorders, who have used neuroplastic techniques to complete a normal education and become independent; and sufferers who have seen symptoms of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, brain injuries, and cerebral palsy radically diminish; and we learn how to lower our risk of dementia by 60 per cent. Through hopeful, astonishing stories, The Brain’s Way of Healing explains how mind, brain, and body, and the energies around us, work together in health and healing.

The story of one man's evolution from naïve and ambitious young intern to world-class neurosurgeon.With poignant insight and humor, Frank Vertosick Jr., MD, describes some of the greatest challenges of his career, including a six-week-old infant with a tumor in her brain, a young man struck down in his prime by paraplegia, and a minister with a .22-caliber bullet lodged in his skull. Told through intimate portraits of Vertosick’s patients and unsparing yet fascinatingly detailed descriptions of surgical procedures, When the Air Hits Your Brain―the culmination of decades spent struggling to learn an unforgiving craft―illuminates both the mysteries of the mind and the realities of the operating room.

When your health is at risk, you want to consider every option.In Alternative Cures, three hundred of America’s top doctors and natural healers–herbalists, nutritionists, homeopaths, and naturopaths–share more than one thousand safe and effective remedies for many health concerns. Inside you’ll discover• a nutrient that blocks the side effects of arthritis drugs• a two-nutrient combo that can help cure chronic fatigue• an herbal “cocktail” that stops common flu symptoms in twenty-four hours• an amino acid that works as well as Viagra• a group of remedies that rein in high blood pressure• a natural hormone cream that rebuilds bones• a home remedy that stops sugar cravings immediatelyPlus, there are easy-to-follow illustrations of healing exercises and pain-relieving pressure points–along with guidance on when to seek a professional. Alternative Cures provides not only health advice but peace of mind.“A valuable resource of alternative and integrated medicines.”–Elson M. Haas, M.D., author of The False Fat Diet

By the time Rock Hudson's death in 1985 alerted all America to the danger of the AIDS epidemic, the disease had spread across the nation, killing thousands of people and emerging as the greatest health crisis of the 20th century. America faced a troubling question: What happened? How was this epidemic allowed to spread so far before it was taken seriously? In answering these questions, Shilts weaves weaves the disparate threads into a coherent story, pinning down every evasion and contradiction at the highest levels of the medical, political, and media establishments.Shilts shows that the epidemic spread wildly because the federal government put budget ahead of the nation's welfare; health authorities placed political expediency before the public health; and scientists were often more concerned with international prestige than saving lives. Against this backdrop, Shilts tells the heroic stories of individuals in science and politics, public health and the gay community, who struggled to alert the nation to the enormity of the danger it faced. And the Band Played On is both a tribute to these heroic people and a stinging indictment of the institutions that failed the nation so badly.

Gifted Hands reveals the remarkable journey of Dr. Ben Carson from an angry, struggling young boy with everything stacked against him to the director of pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.As a boy, he did poorly in school and struggled with anger. If it were not for the persistence of his mother, a single parent who worked three jobs and pushed her sons to do their best, his story may have ended tragically.Join Dr. Carson on his journey from a struggling inner-city student to the pinnacle of his career as a world-renowned neurosurgeon. A man of humility, decency, compassion, courage, and sensitivity, he now serves as a role model for everyone who wants to achieve their God-given potential.As you learn more about Dr. Carson's amazing story, you'll be inspired to: Take charge of your own destiny Hone your God-given gifts Face adversity head on Filled with fascinating stories, Gifted Hands will transport you into the operating room to witness surgeries that made headlines around the world, and into the private mind of a compassionate, God-fearing physician who lives to help others.

THE LATEST BOOK FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SUNDAY TIMES #1 BESTSELLER FEEL BETTER IN 5'This is not a diet book. This is a whole new way of looking at what, why and how we eat and helps you design your own plan to build a better, healthier relationship with food' Fearne Cotton'A book with practical simple tips for everyone!' Tim Spector'It is a beautiful book and has so much in it to help us feel good and prioritise our happiness and health' Dr Gemma Newman'One of the most influential doctors in the country' Chris Evans_________________________________________________________________________It's more important than ever before that we get in shape, stay healthy and live well - Dr Chatterjee is back to show you how.Weight loss isn't a race. It isn't one size fits all. Drawing on twenty years of experience as a GP, Dr Rangan Chatterjee has created a conscious, long-lasting approach to weight loss that goes far beyond fad diets and helps to find the best solutions that work for you. Packed with quick and easy interventions this book will help you:1. Understand the effects of what, why, when, where and how we eat2. Discover the root cause of your weight gain3. Nourish your body without any crash diets or gruelling workouts4. Build a toolbox of techniques to help you lose weight, for goodWith Feel Great, Lose Weight you can make sustainable, medically-approved lifestyle changes and become a more energised, confident and healthy you._________________________________________________________________________'A blame-free book' Telegraph'This book is extremely practical, insightful and easy-to-follow' The Happy Pears

How eliminating “risk illiteracy” among doctors and patients will lead to better health care decision making.Contrary to popular opinion, one of the main problems in providing uniformly excellent health care is not lack of money but lack of knowledge—on the part of both doctors and patients. The studies in this book show that many doctors and most patients do not understand the available medical evidence. Both patients and doctors are “risk illiterate”—frequently unable to tell the difference between actual risk and relative risk. Further, unwarranted disparity in treatment decisions is the rule rather than the exception in the United States and Europe. All of this contributes to much wasted spending in health care.The contributors to Better Doctors, Better Patients, Better Decisions investigate the roots of the problem, from the emphasis in medical research on technology and blockbuster drugs to the lack of education for both doctors and patients. They call for a new, more enlightened health care, with better medical education, journals that report study outcomes completely and transparently, and patients in control of their personal medical records, not afraid of statistics but able to use them to make informed decisions about their treatments.

Susan Sontag's celebrated essays on cancer and AIDS now available in one volume.In 1978, Sontag wrote Illness as Metaphor, a classic work described by Newsweek as "one of the most liberating books of its time." A cancer patient herself when she was writing the book, Sontag shows how the metaphors and myths surrounding certain illnesses, especially cancer, add greatly to the suffering of patients and often inhibit them from seeking proper treatment. By demystifying the fantasies surrounding cancer, Sontag shows cancer for what it is--just a disease. Cancer, she argues, is not a curse, not a punishment, certainly not an embarrassment and, it is highly curable, if good treatment is followed.Almost a decade later, with the outbreak of a new, stigmatized disease replete with mystifications and punitive metaphors, Sontag wrote a sequel to Illness as Metaphor, extending the argument of the earlier book to the AIDS pandemic.These two essays now published together, Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors, have been translated into many languages and continue to have an enormous influence on the thinking of medical professionals and, above all, on the lives of many thousands of patients and caregivers.