A History of Haematology. from Herodotus to Hiv (oxford Medical Histories)

The Ulster Medical Society grants to all users on the basis of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence the right to alter or build upon the work non-commercially, as long as the author is credited and the new creation is licensed under identical terms. Did you know that some 17th century physicians suggested blood transfusion between spouses as a treatment for marital disharmony? Neither did I before reading " A History of Haematology from Herodotus to HIV " by Professor Shaun McCann, Professor Emeritus of Haematology and Academic Medicine at Trinity College Dublin. Although Haematologists make up a very small proportion of the medical workforce, most doctors have dealings with " blood " in their daily practice and should therefore find this well written book interesting and stimulating. In his preface, Professor McCann tells of how he first met the editor of this series of books, Dr Christopher Gardner-Thorpe, at a dinner on the terrace of a mutual friend's house in Tuscany. He readily admits that the idea for the book was subsequently consolidated over an excellent lunch in London. The tone and style of the resulting book suggests that the dinner conversations on these occasions were enthusiastic, philosophical, wide ranging and entertaining. " A History of Haematology " is comprehensive and authoritative but never tiresome. When McCann tells us that in 500 BC Herodotus stated that " each person remembers something different-different and differently " he isn't revisiting the subject of marital disharmony, but preparing us for the fact that this is his history of haematology with emphasis on topics which he has judged to deserve attention. It is a thoughtful approach which rewards the reader. He tells of his long-held fascination of the phenomenon of " people being written out of history " and certainly sets the record straight for many unsung heroes whose work continues to guide daily medical practice. I particularly enjoyed the story of Canadian blood transfusion pioneer Dr Norman Bethune (1890-1939), whose communist political outlook seem to have contributed to his omission from the historical record hitherto. McCann brings Bethune's story to life, setting the scene by telling us of his belief in the association between poverty and tuberculosis " ideas not widely held by the medical profession " at the time. Bethune's outlook was further influenced at a medical conference in Leningrad in the summer of 1935 by the idea that treatment …