Preface When Rockefeller Medicine Men was first published in 1979, it proved to be a controversial work. In reviewing histories of medicine from 1962 to 1982, Ronald L. Numbers called it “the most controversial medical history of the past decade.”‘ This reprinting of the book provides an opportunity to respond to some of the book’s critics as part of a continuing dialogue about the issues it raises. Part of the controversy generated by the book comes from its social-historical approach to medicine. The growing body of social histories of health care challenges the “great physician” perspective that for so long has dominated the history of medicine.2 Some are dismayed by this new approach to health care, particularly when it involves a critical examination of the […] Read More
Health & Spirituality in the New Age