Author William Lindler will be here to discuss the book he co-authored, "A Scientific Revolution: Ten Men and Women who Reinvented American Medicine"
Today, we take it for granted that our doctors base the care they provide on science. That hasn't always been the case. For the longest time, medicine in the United States was mired in folk wisdom, ancient notions of bodily humors, and plain quackery.
The transformation of medicine from a rough-and-ready trade into a science based on research and evidence was indeed a revolution. Our book tells the story of this sea change through the lives of pivotal figures who committed body and soul to advancing rigorous patient care and medical education. We begin with Mary Elizabeth Garrett, who was denied a college education by the president of Johns Hopkins but later used hardball philanthropy to raise the medical school’s entry requirements and to guarantee that women would be admitted on equal terms with men.
We end with Vivien Thomas, the grandson of an enslaved person, who struggled against bigotry and segregation at Hopkins. He nonetheless performed countless experiments that charted the path to congenital heart defect surgery. In between, we recount the lives of eight others who battled sexism, racism, and their own personal demons to shape scientific medicine.
The Wall Street Journal recently wrote: "Dr. Hruban and Mr. Linder’s portraits capture an inflection point in American medicine: the ambition and excitement of it, the sense of moment experienced by those who were leading.” A Scientific Revolution is filled with stories about dramatic medical innovations, but is also informed by an awareness of the human dimensions of scientific progress.
Will Linder is an Evanston-based author and editor. He is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University's Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, where he majored in history. In addition, he holds master’s degrees in business administration and liberal arts from the University of Chicago. Will has had a long career in business, academic, and journalistic writing. He is also a huge Blue Jays lacrosse fan.
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