Quacks: Fakers & Charlatans in English Medicine

By Roy Porter

Book Overview

If the thought of visiting the doctor or having a spell in the hospital gives most people pause to contemplate their mortality, then such thoughts must pale when compared to the experiences of our... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0752417762
• ISBN13: 9780752417769
• Release Date: July 2000
• Publisher: Tempus Pub Ltd
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.0" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

An educated fraud is no less fraudulent than the quack himself.

Fantastic brief education into how and why medical and spiritual based quackery practices not only developed and for a time prospered greatly, but spurred along medical cultural and social changes themselves. Doctors did have to compete, after all, and even some of them were as falsely successful and outdated in ideas as quacks. The history isn’t just about the typical soapbox preaching snake oil salesman - it’s about their sudden and angering appearance as direct competition to established medical community arrogance and the effect social response had upon both. Also a neat glimpse into advertising and marketing history. Expect Porter wit, if you’re familiar with it.