History of Medicine provides a brief survey of the history of Western medicine with reference to recent scholarly literature and current issues in health care. Organised conceptually around the major fields of medical endeavour, this book provides an accessible overview of medical history as a vibrant component of social, intellectual and cultural history, and as a research discipline in its own right. Duffin's clear and entertaining prose and the many illustrations will help to demystify medicine for general readers and for students in other disciplines, such as history, philosophy and sociology.