The Making Of Modern Medicine cover art

The Making Of Modern Medicine

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

 This major new Radio 4 series charts the development of Western medicine and healing from the ancient Greeks to the pioneering organ transplant operations of the 20th Century and beyond. ‘The Making of Modern Medicine’ covers over 2000 years of medical history and draws on a vast range of original sources from diaries, medical journals and stage satires to shed light on the experiences of physicians, surgeons, nurses and patients. From classical beliefs about illness that would dominate medical thinking for centuries, through to the rise of the great hospitals and the work of the Renaissance anatomists, this fascinating and entertaining series reveals how, in the early 19th Century, modern scientific medicine was born out of a medical ‘Big Bang’ erupting from the white heat of the French Revolution, which would lead to clinical medicine as we know it today. Written and presented by Andrew Cunningham, an authority on social and scientific medical history, it includes a wide variety of highly illustrative extracts read by acclaimed actors including Tamsin Greig, Annette Badland, David Rintoul and Peter Capaldi. Whether you’re interested in what it was like to be ill in earlier times, the emergence of women in medicine, the advent of the stethoscope, or the development of antibiotic treatment, this series offers an entertaining and thought-provoking insight into these and many other medical issues.© and (P)2007 BBC Audiobooks LTD Entertainment & Performing Arts History & Commentary Medicine & Health Care Industry Science
All stars
Most relevant
This is such a beautiful publication. Starts with the theory of the four humours and ends with heart transplants. Really interesting. I'd especially recommend it to anyone contemplating a career in medicine, as it puts the modern into its historical context. In fact this would help prepare you for a university interview as it details precisely what is meant by 'clinical medicine', how the various professions within medicine developed (apothecaries physicians and surgeons), and dwells on the personalities as well as the developments.

The BBC at her best

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I think the content of this audiobook is very good, I like the way it is written and read. However the book is a concatenation of many radio episodes which have all retained their jingles both at the beginning and end. I tend to listen to relax, which is difficult with so much annoying music!

Good but not great

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I thoroughly enjoyed the audio book. It was clearly presented and I learned a lot

Brilliantly presented!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.