THE
GREATEST BENEFIT TO MANKIND
A Medical History of
Humanity from Antiquity to the Present
ROY PORTER
William Collins
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 1997
Copyright © Roy Porter 1997
Roy Porter has asserted the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
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Source ISBN: 9780006374541
Ebook Edition © FEBRUARY 2013 ISBN: 9780007385546 Version: 2017-02-09
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More from the reviews:
‘An endlessly beguiling grand tour d’horizon… Nobody could do this colossal subject better justice than Professor Porter.’
MICHAEL BYWATER, New Statesman
‘History as compulsive as this is a splendid reminder of the essential truth [of mortality]… an admirable and a richly enjoyable book’
New Scientist
‘What? Yet another compulsively readable, astonishingly encyclopaedic book from Roy Porter? The Greatest Benefit to Mankind might be his best to date: an epic, one-volume narrative history of man’s struggle with the infirmities of his body, from Aesculapius to AIDS. The author’s perceptiveness is, as usual, scalpel-sharp; his manner genially bedside; his erudition invigorating. To get the full benefit of Dr Porter’s tonic, take a dose of the book at least once a day and retire early to bed.’
SIMON SCHAMA
‘Riveting … one of the abiding impressions left by this astonishingly erudite historical survey is of the enormous intellectual effort across all cultures to try and understand the origins of illness. Another is what perilous lives we have led, especially since we created cities to live in. There is prodigious labour here, as well as generous helpings of wit… This fine book is much more than a chronicle of the rise of modern medical science. It is also a splendidly salutary reminder of the precariousness and pain of the human lot through most of our history. After reading it, anyone who has ever attended a birth, overcome an infection by taking a pill or had a pain-free operation, should be left profoundly grateful to be living in the second half of the 20th century, rather than any of the centuries before.’
JON TURNEY, Financial Times
‘Excellent … In this fine book, Porter has managed to weave together both approaches to the history of medicine. On the one hand he has drawn thumbnail sketches of the rich variety of personalities whose achievements were seminal to the slow evolution of the field. His choices are nothing if not catholic: Galen, William Harvey, Louis Pasteur and like giants were not unexpected; Jacob Bigelow, Dock and other pioneers of medical education may be less familiar; and the Egyptian healer Iri, keeper of the royal rectum is a genuine collector’s piece. Yet at the same time Porter has managed to set each stage of this complex story in its social and demographic framework. Even more remarkably, he has maintained this dualistic approach in accounts of medical practice in ancient Greece, China and India, through its Arab-Islamic period and in medieval England to the present day. Yet this massive fact-filled volume is written so eloquently, with such style, insight and humour that it is extremely difficult to put down… Porter has performed a great service to today’s (and tomorrow’s) doctors and to the community at large by placing the current medical scene in its broad historical perspective. And in so doing he has managed to write a wonderfully entertaining book. His synthesis of the modern doctor’s dilemma is spot on. All those who have the daunting task of trying to redefine the goals of medical practice for the future should read this book and then read it again. It is a magnificent achievement.’
DAVID WEATHERALL, THES
‘The richness of the historical information is matched by the vividness of his assessment of present dangers from the resurgence of disease.’
JOHN MADDOX, New Statesman, Books of the Year
‘Porter is both immensely learned and highly readable. Readers who, like myself, enjoy discovering unexpected facts will find this book a treasure trove… Roy Porter’s mammoth medical history is an extraordinary achievement; it is lively and full of fascinating information.’
ANTHONY STORR, Observer
‘A marvellous canter through 10,000 years of disease, diagnosis and death’
TIM RADFORD, Guardian
‘Big, broad-minded, compendious yet lively and extremely readable’
Scotsman
‘A bedside book which can be guaranteed to interest, educate and soothe the most disturbed insomniac. The book is amusingly – even racily written. Porter’s role as a commentator has not detracted from historical detail, as the anecdotal style with which he describes the intricacies of medical practice throughout the ages makes it blend seamlessly with his analyses of social conditions. Although doctors and patients who have lived and worked through the medical revolution of the post-antibiotic era, and all the other changes of the past 50 years, may find this book particularly fascinating, it also makes interesting reading to those who have no previous specialised knowledge in either history or medicine. The Greatest Benefit to Mankind is as much a gigantic essay on medicine as it is a textbook and is particularly effective in revealing the changes in medicine over the past 150 years, together with the social and political changes which first prompted them … Porter is particularly stimulating when writing on the history of mental disease… Readers will find enough detail to make them glad that they live in a time where there are anaesthetics, surgical teams and a sophisticated pharmaceutical industry, but the descriptions are not so gory that the insomniac who seeks relief within its covers will later fear to turn out the lights.’
THOMAS STUTTAFORD, The Times
‘Most impressive… a titanic 800-pager which ranges from pre-history to the present… Porter is the master of the telling quotation… He is also the first historian to tackle the complexities of medicine’s