I have been a fan of Howard Markel's essays, reading them eagerly when they appeared in the most prestigious medical journals. What a treat to have them under one cover. From Dostoevsky to Marilyn Monroe, these pieces wed medicine and fascinating pearls of history, echoing Markel's professional training in both disciplines. But the writing style is uniquely Markel, combining impish curiosity, incisive observation, a psychoanalyst's insight, and humor. It is a
collection to treasure.
HOWARD MARKEL, M.D., Ph.D., is the George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine and director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan. His books include Quarantine!, When Germs Travel, An Anatomy of Addiction, and The Kelloggs: The Battling Brothers of Battle Creek. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Journal of the American Medical
Association, and The New England Journal of Medicine. Markel is a Guggenheim fellow and member of the National Academy of Medicine. A regular contributor to PBS NewsHour.com, he lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.