The Precious Metals of Medicine

By Geoffrey Marks

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684139790
• ISBN13: 9780684139791
• Release Date: January 1975
• Publisher: Scribners
• Length: 294 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Very interesting and highly recommended

This is a very good book, which should be of interest to those interested in the history of medicine and metallurgy. The title is, however, a bit restrictive. By precious they really mean very important, and as such cover all metals (and some semi-metals) that have had some impact on medicine, not just gold, silver, and platinum. They include not only those metals and metallic compounds that were ingested, but also those that were used to construct implants and medical instruments. The book is divided into three sections, each covering a different time period. The periods covered are; the early history (to the fifteenth century), the fifteenth through the nineteenth centuries and the twentieth century. A wealth of information is provided on different treatment modalities and medicines, some of which are still in use today. I found this to be a fascinating book and I hope that it will be reissued. Until then, it is available on the used book market. As a metallurgist, interested in history, this book was a natural for me, but it should also be of great interest to doctors, medical historians and all those interested in the history of science. I highly recommend this book.