The New York Times Book of Medicine More than 150 Years of Reporting on the Evolution of Medicine
Today we live longer, healthier lives than ever before in history—a transformation due almost entirely to tremendous advances in medicine. Treatments for depression, blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers, and diabetes came later; antibiotics were nonexistent, viruses unheard of, and no one realized yet that DNA carried blueprints for life or the importance of stem cells. It also reveals medical mistakes, lapses in ethics, and wrong paths taken in hopes of curing disease. Every illness, every landmark has a tale, and the newspapers top reporters tell each one with perceptiveness and skill.