The Art and Science of Healing Since Antiquity

Book excerpt: This book is brilliant and wise, full of unexpected insights, and a delight to read! It is the kind of rare book that only a practicing scientist with a deep awareness of medicine, therapeutics, politics, and societies can write. A materialist framework is critical for understanding the history of any science, and this book is the most astute of any book I have read on the history of medicine. The science of physiology and the art of healing are merged in medicine, and the author truly grasps the significance of both. Professor Mriganka Sur, PhD FRS Newton Professor of Neuroscience Head, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Director, Simons Initiative on Autism and the Brain Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 02139, USA Health care is riddled with uncertainties that rarely receive adequate public debate. Daya Varma's new book, in culling a wide range of scholarship, offers an analysis of why much uncertainty in both Western and Eastern societies relates to multiple approaches to healing. Varma charges us to examine closely why we have different schools of medicine, their origins and roles in society. As conventional scientific medicine becomes more and more expensive and reliant on technology, Varma's reflections on the origins and sustainability of multiple schools of health care must be part of discussions on the future of health care. J. K. Crellin MD, PhD Honorary Research Professor, Memorial University St. John's, NL A1B 3V6, Canada