Category: Book review

Phanida Fung finds that “as a female GP, gynaecological problems are the number-one topic my non-medic friends seek advice for. However, help is here.” Phanida reviews “The Gynae Geek” by Anita Mitra.

Might a better understanding of the history of medicine and an evolutionary perspective of disease actually improve our medical practice? Pearce Cusack reviews “Scattered Limbs: A Medical Dream-Book” by Iain Bamforth.

Loneliness is a serious public health challenge facing the UK. David Jeffrey reviews a book describing the impact of an innovative community project in Somerset.

Fiona Baskett reviews the soon to be released ‘Psychiatrist in the Chair: The Official Biography of Anthony Clare’, detailing the life of Anthony Clare (1942–2007), one of the leading psychiatrists of his generation.

The dedication and humility of NHS nurses, porters, doctors, switchboard operators, medical students and secretaries has never wavered for the past seventy-two years. This book review by Fiona Baskett reminds us that whether giving or receiving care we all have our vulnerabilities.

“Health is made at home, hospitals are for repairs: building a healthy and health-creating society” is a radical book from the global health leader and former chief executive of the NHS. Rather than “prescribing” or telling people what to do, we should aspire to co-create the local conditions for the health of all to flourish.

Made Possible details the appalling historical mistreatment of people with learning disabilities, as well as the challenges faced today. Salman reflects on the empowerment and the personal achievements she witnessed when her sister was well supported, and the uphill struggle to try to access such support

Angel of Death by Gareth Williams provides a very comprehensive history of smallpox and vaccine development, which has parallels with the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Amanda Brown traded her relatively comfortable life in a village surgery for life in some of Britain’s most notorious prisons. However, The Prison Doctor is not just a description of how her two worlds differed.