Books: The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-Being: The Snare of Happiness.

of medicine, changed beyond recognition during these 100 years. As with all communities, the residents of Coalbrookdale needed doctors. The story explores the evolution of the discipline that we now recognise as general practice but which started from humble beginnings with apothecaries selling medicines to treat undiagnosed ailments. Their medical education initially involved an apprenticeship and evidence-based medicine simply did not exist. There are terrifying accounts of crossinfection, management of obstructed labour, and the use of dubious therapies such as blood-letting. Today we read about these with horror, but at the time they knew no better and were doing what they thought was best for their patients. As time passed, the need for this group of practitioners to have a more formal education, recognised qualifications, and ultimately a clear status within the medical profession became apparent. The doctors lived within the community of Coalbrookdale, practising from the family home, and clearly felt a loyalty to and responsibility for the population they served. They relied on payment from the poor and sick, which was not guaranteed, and the workload was immense with patients able to call day or night. The excessive workload led successive generations of doctors to be physically and mentally exhausted. The period described in the book ends 150 years ago, a long time perhaps, although the importance of evidence-based practice, the need for a sound medical education, the value of universal health care, and the challenge of physician burnout is as relevant today as it was in Coalbrookdale all those years ago.