08.08.2023 | Book and New Media Reviews
The Autumn Ghost: How the Battle Against a Polio Epidemic Revolutionized Modern Medical Care
Hannah Wunsch. Greystone Books, Canada, 2023. CAD 39.95, 360 pages. ISBN: 9781771649452.
verfasst von:
Peter G. Brindley, MD, FRCPC
Erschienen in:
Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie
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Ausgabe 10/2023
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Excerpt
I believe in the benefits of reading medical history. Nevertheless, I also jealously guard my down time, and, hence, have little patience for books that are tedious, hagiographic, poorly constructed, or overly niche. I am delighted to report that Hannah Wunsch’s “Autumn Ghost” suffers none of these shortcomings. Instead, it is 300 pages of highly engaging nonfiction that centers on the polio epidemic in 1950 s Denmark. As outlined below, viruses are still supremely relevant and polio has had huge, lasting implications on medical care. Hyperbole aside, this may be the closest we have to a one-stop history of anesthesiology and critical care for both lay and medical audiences. Accordingly, it belongs on many of our bookshelves and e-readers. …