Incorporating many rare photographs from the family albums of survivors who tell their stories, Harvard professor Julie Silver, M.D., and historian Daniel Wilson help readers understand the sheer terror that gripped parents of young children every spring and summer during the first half of the 20th century as polio epidemics ran rampant. Interviewed as part of the Polio Oral History Project directed by Silver and funded by Harvard, foundations, and private donors, the people featured in this book describe what is arguably the most feared scourge of modern times. Testimonies are included...

Chronic pain is the leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting as many as 48 million people in this country alone. It can demoralize and depress both patient and family, especially when there is no effective pain control and no hope for relief. Improperly managed, chronic pain can lead to substance abuse (usually painkillers) and to acute psychological and emotional distress. Pain begets stress and stress begets pain in a wretched downward spiral.

Silver reviews the causes and characteristics of chronic pain and explores its impact on individual family relationships...

How to heal faster, better, and stronger during recovery from a serious illness or injury--a Harvard doctor's complete recovery plan

When people are seriously ill or injured, they receive immediate and often life-sustaining treatment. Then at some point they are usually left to their own devices to "finish" healing. At the time that patients are discharged from treatment or their doctors tell them, "I don't have anything else I can offer you," they are often shifted into a zone where they are better than at their sickest point, but not as healthy as they once were. This zone, between...