a clear and straightforward fashion while taking care, wearing his journalistic cap atop his white coat, never to let the scientific facts stand in the way of what is a rattling good storyâ
A NDREW M ACKENZIE in Scotland on Sunday
â[Le Fanuâs] book, in many ways a history of medicine since 1935, is as lucid as it is comprehensive. In it, he comments that few doctors are intellectuals. He is an exception, but, even so, it is an easy and fascinating read, studded with little-known facts . . . His arguments developslowly and clearly . . . I would recommend The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine. I found it informative and intriguingâ
T HOMAS S TUTTAFORD in the Literary Review
âThe skill [of medical journalism] is to write with humanity and objectivity, a dual responsibility brilliantly fulfilled by the author . . . This book is well worth reading just for the brilliant pen portraits of Le Fanuâs twelve definitive moments of medical advance. Some, like the discovery of penicillin, are well known, but even here the author has a way of encapsulation that is full of insights and unusual detail . . . It would be possible to close the book here, just over halfway through, and still feel you had had your moneyâs worth. But the challenge is in the second half, where three much hyped hopes for the future are brought down to earth . . . This excellent book has challenged many of my viewsâ
D AVID O WEN in the Spectator
â[The first] part of the book makes a jolly good yarn. The tales are well told, and should be read by all [junior doctors] to give them some feeling of the excitement felt by their grandparents as major diseases that had seemed totally untreatable came under control. Seniors should read it too: they will be reminded of the great men who taught them . . . The second half of the book, concerning the fall of medicine, is more contentious though no less enjoyable for thatâ
J. R. H AMPTON in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
âLe Fanuâs dozen vignettes [of the definitive moments of modern medicine] are excellently done . . . Le Fanu, a part-time practitioner, sounds just the sort of physician we would like to consultâ
D AVID S HARP in the New Statesman
âClose on 500 pages of passionate criticism . . . Le Fanuâs accounts of the success stories of medical care are lively and well worth readingâ
D. J. W EATHERALL in the Times Higher Education Supplement
âThis well written, extremely readable, and thought-provoking book deserves to be widely read, especially by those in the establishment who would say he is wrongâ
R OB H ENDRY in the British Journal of Medical Practice
âLe Fanuâs The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine is the best book on the history of medicine I have ever read. Thoroughly fascinating, immensely readable. Deserves wide public attentionâ
N ORMAN F. C ANTOR , Emeritus Professor of History, New York University
âA compelling insider account that tries to determine, from the vantage point of the United Kingdom, why so few people are happy with the institution of medicineâ
I AIN B AMFORTH in the Times Literary Supplement
âI enjoyed The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine , and I expect most doctors will also, possibly dipping into it (topics are well indexed), rather than reading from start to finish. Le Fanuâs âtwelve definitive momentsâ are a particular pleasure to read. Having practised through most of the years he covers, and having participated in or observed first-hand many of the events he recounts, his accounts of the serendipity, imagination, and luck that led to each are intriguing and informative . . . Le Fanu is a keen observer of the changing medical scene. He presents a wealth of interesting material and offers interpretations that, whether or not they agree, readers will find thought-provoking and well worth readingâ
J OHN B UNKER in the British
A NDREW M ACKENZIE in Scotland on Sunday
â[Le Fanuâs] book, in many ways a history of medicine since 1935, is as lucid as it is comprehensive. In it, he comments that few doctors are intellectuals. He is an exception, but, even so, it is an easy and fascinating read, studded with little-known facts . . . His arguments developslowly and clearly . . . I would recommend The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine. I found it informative and intriguingâ
T HOMAS S TUTTAFORD in the Literary Review
âThe skill [of medical journalism] is to write with humanity and objectivity, a dual responsibility brilliantly fulfilled by the author . . . This book is well worth reading just for the brilliant pen portraits of Le Fanuâs twelve definitive moments of medical advance. Some, like the discovery of penicillin, are well known, but even here the author has a way of encapsulation that is full of insights and unusual detail . . . It would be possible to close the book here, just over halfway through, and still feel you had had your moneyâs worth. But the challenge is in the second half, where three much hyped hopes for the future are brought down to earth . . . This excellent book has challenged many of my viewsâ
D AVID O WEN in the Spectator
â[The first] part of the book makes a jolly good yarn. The tales are well told, and should be read by all [junior doctors] to give them some feeling of the excitement felt by their grandparents as major diseases that had seemed totally untreatable came under control. Seniors should read it too: they will be reminded of the great men who taught them . . . The second half of the book, concerning the fall of medicine, is more contentious though no less enjoyable for thatâ
J. R. H AMPTON in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
âLe Fanuâs dozen vignettes [of the definitive moments of modern medicine] are excellently done . . . Le Fanu, a part-time practitioner, sounds just the sort of physician we would like to consultâ
D AVID S HARP in the New Statesman
âClose on 500 pages of passionate criticism . . . Le Fanuâs accounts of the success stories of medical care are lively and well worth readingâ
D. J. W EATHERALL in the Times Higher Education Supplement
âThis well written, extremely readable, and thought-provoking book deserves to be widely read, especially by those in the establishment who would say he is wrongâ
R OB H ENDRY in the British Journal of Medical Practice
âLe Fanuâs The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine is the best book on the history of medicine I have ever read. Thoroughly fascinating, immensely readable. Deserves wide public attentionâ
N ORMAN F. C ANTOR , Emeritus Professor of History, New York University
âA compelling insider account that tries to determine, from the vantage point of the United Kingdom, why so few people are happy with the institution of medicineâ
I AIN B AMFORTH in the Times Literary Supplement
âI enjoyed The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine , and I expect most doctors will also, possibly dipping into it (topics are well indexed), rather than reading from start to finish. Le Fanuâs âtwelve definitive momentsâ are a particular pleasure to read. Having practised through most of the years he covers, and having participated in or observed first-hand many of the events he recounts, his accounts of the serendipity, imagination, and luck that led to each are intriguing and informative . . . Le Fanu is a keen observer of the changing medical scene. He presents a wealth of interesting material and offers interpretations that, whether or not they agree, readers will find thought-provoking and well worth readingâ
J OHN B UNKER in the British
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