Mark Twain and Medicine

Mark Twain and Medicine
Author :
Publisher : University of Missouri Press
Total Pages : 384
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780826264480
ISBN-13 : 0826264484
Rating : 4/5 (80 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Mark Twain and Medicine by : K. Patrick Ober

Download or read book Mark Twain and Medicine written by K. Patrick Ober and published by University of Missouri Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mark Twain has always been America's spokesman, and his comments on a wide range of topics continue to be accurate, valid, and frequently amusing. His opinions on the medical field are no exception. While Twain's works, including his popular novels about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, are rich in medical imagery and medical themes derived from his personal experiences, his interactions with the medical profession and his comments about health, illness, and physicians have largely been overlooked. In Mark Twain and Medicine, K. Patrick Ober remedies this omission. The nineteenth century was a critical time in the development of American medicine, with much competition among the different systems of health care, both traditional and alternative. Not surprisingly, Mark Twain was right in the middle of it all. He experimented with many of the alternative care systems that were available in his day--in part because of his frustration with traditional medicine and in part because he hoped to find the "perfect" system that would bring health to his family. Twain's commentary provides a unique perspective on American medicine and the revolution in medical systems that he experienced firsthand. Ober explores Twain's personal perspective in this area, as he expressed it in fiction, speeches, and letters. As a medical educator, Ober explains in sufficient detail and with clarity all medical and scientific terms, making this volume accessible to the general reader. Ober demonstrates that many of Twain's observations are still relevant to today's health care issues, including the use of alternative or complementary medicine in dealing with illness, the utility of placebo therapies, and the role of hope in the healing process. Twain's evaluation of the medical practices of his era provides a fresh, humanistic, and personalized view of the dramatic changes that occurred in medicine through the nineteenth century and into the first decade of the twentieth. Twain scholars, general readers, and medical professionals will all find this unique look at his work appealing.


Mark Twain and Medicine Related Books

Mark Twain and Medicine
Language: en
Pages: 384
Authors: K. Patrick Ober
Categories: Literary Criticism
Type: BOOK - Published: 2003 - Publisher: University of Missouri Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Mark Twain has always been America's spokesman, and his comments on a wide range of topics continue to be accurate, valid, and frequently amusing. His opinions
Mark Twain's Guide to Diet, Exercise, Beauty, Fashion, Investment, Romance, Health and Happiness
Language: en
Pages: 209
Authors: Mark Dawidziak
Categories: Humor
Type: BOOK - Published: 2015-05-18 - Publisher: Prospect Park Books

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This collection of Mark Twain quotes presents the best of the curmudgeonly writer's thoughts on diet, exercise, medicine, smoking, drinking, romance, parenting,
Sitting in Darkness
Language: en
Pages: 256
Authors: Hsuan L. Hsu
Categories: Literary Criticism
Type: BOOK - Published: 2015-02-20 - Publisher: NYU Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Perhaps the most popular of all canonical American authors, Mark Twain is famous for creating works that satirize American formations of race and empire. While
Mark Twain in Paradise
Language: en
Pages: 198
Authors: Donald Hoffmann
Categories: Literary Criticism
Type: BOOK - Published: 2006-03-01 - Publisher: University of Missouri Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

For Mark Twain, it was love at first landfall. Samuel Clemens first encountered the Bermuda Islands in 1867 on a return voyage from the Holy Land and found them
A Student's Guide to Mark Twain
Language: en
Pages: 0
Authors: Mary Ann L. Diorio
Categories:
Type: BOOK - Published: 2008-01-16 - Publisher: Enslow Publishing

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Contains a biography of Mark Twain and an examination of some of his works.