Roy Porter – författare

This fascinating story of madness reveals the radically different perceptions of madness and approaches to its treatment, from antiquity to the present day. Roy Porter explores what we really mean by 'madness', covering an enormous range of topics from witches to creative geniuses, electric shock therapy to sexual deviancy, psychoanalysis to prozac. The origins of current debates about how we define and deal with insanity are examined through eyewitness accounts of those treating patients, writers, artists, and the mad themselves.

Upplysningen på 1700-talet är en av de mest spännande och viktiga strömmarna i europeisk kultur. I kamp mot tyranni, okunnighet och vidskepelse formulerade den ideal som än i dag bygger under vårt samhälle: en tro på förnuft, kritik, tankefrihet, religions- och yttrandefrihet, vetenskapens värde, kampen för framåtskridande. Upplysningstänkarna undergrävde l?ancien régime och försåg franska revolutionen med dess idéer. Likväl var upplysningen inte en enkel ensartad rörelse. Som nyare forskning visat skilde sig dess ledande gestalter ? tänkare som Voltaire, Diderot, Hume, Rousseau och Kant ? mycket från varandra. Vad som stod i förgrunden växlade under seklets gång. Och upplysningens religiösa synsätt och politiska fältrop skilde sig från land till land. Inte heller kan den alltför glättiga bilden av upplysningen godtas längre. Upplysningen hade sin mörka sida, den understödde många gånger despotin och föraktade massorna. Och den hyste tvivel på sin förmåga: medförde civilisationen verkligen äkta framsteg? Eller borde vi försöka återuppväcka naturtillståndet? Upplysningen - en introduktion utforskar utifrån en upplysningsvänlig inställning all den sammansatthet som upplysningen bar på. Den sammanfattar och utvärderar den moderna och aktuella forskningen och ger en ny och heltäckande bild av denna mångskiftande rörelse.

A definitive study of the history of medicine, from the earliest humans to the present day.Medicine is advancing at an incredible rate. We now have the ability to overcome sickness but also to transform the nature of life itself: in many parts of the world, human existence has simply ceased to be ‘nasty, brutish and short’. In this titanic history of medicine and disease, Roy Porter examines the traditions of East and West to chart how this revolution has come about.Covering medical milestones big and small – from dissection to surgery and from anaesthesia to AIDS – Roy Porter’s masterpiece is both a superlative history of medicine and a sweeping survey of human life and death.

This edition does not include illustrations.A definitive study of the history of medicine, from the earliest humans to the present day.Medicine is advancing at an incredible rate. We now have the ability to overcome sickness but also to transform the nature of life itself: in many parts of the world, human existence has simply ceased to be ‘nasty, brutish and short’. In this titanic history of medicine and disease, Roy Porter examines the traditions of East and West to chart how this revolution has come about.Covering medical milestones big and small – from dissection to surgery and from anaesthesia to AIDS – Roy Porter’s masterpiece is both a superlative history of medicine and a sweeping survey of human life and death.

'Roy Porter, a historian of formidable range, turns to urban history in this marvellously lucid, informative and passionate book... Porter's facts are always at the service of the narrative, which has a finely maintained momentum, balancing statistics with the words of historians, diarists and novelists, poets and churchmen: Pepys, Boswell, Fielding, Walpole, Blake, Mayhew, Wells, Woolf, Spark, ... a timely and brilliant book.' CLAIRE TOMALIN, EVENING STANDARD 'A vivid celebration of the city, but also an elegy for its decline, bubbling with statistics and anecdote, from Boadicea to Betjeman.' RICHARD HOLMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOKS OF THE YEAR

A portrait of 18th century England, from its princes to its paupers, from its metropolis to its smallest hamlet. The topics covered include - diet, housing, prisons, rural festivals, bordellos, plays, paintings, and work and wages.

For generations the traditional focus for those wishing to understand the roots of the modern world has been France on the eve of the Revolution. Porter certainly acknowledges France's importance, but here makes an overwhelming case for consideringBritain the true home of modernity - a country driven by an exuberance, diversity and power of invention comparable only to twentieth-century America. Porter immerses the reader in a society which, recovering from the horrors of the Civil War and decisively reinvigorated by the revolution of 1688, had emerged as something new and extraordinary - a society unlike any other in the world.

Mankind's battle to stay alive is the greatest of all subjects. This brief, witty and unusual book by Britain's greatest medical historian compresses into a tiny span a lifetime spent thinking about millennia of human ingenuity in the quest to cheat death. Each chapter sums up one of these battlefields (surgery, doctors, disease, hospitals, laboratories and the human body) in a way that is both frightening and elating. Startlingly illustrated, A SHORT HISTORY OF MEDICINE is the ideal presentfor anyone who is keenly aware of their own mortality and wants to do something about it. It is also a wonderful memorial to one of Penguin's greatest historians.

'As an introduction to early modern thinking and the impact of past ideas on present lives, this book can find few equals and no superiors. Porter is a witty, humane writer with an extraordinary vocabulary and a sparkling sense of fun. Whether he is quoting from obscure medical texts or analysing scabrous diaries, dishing the dirt on long-dead bigwigs or evoking sympathy for human suffering, his grasp is masterly and his erudition appealing. I wish I could read it again for the first time: you can.' Times Educational Supplement, Book of the Week In this startlingly brilliant sequel to the prize-winning ENLIGHTENMENT Roy Porter completes his lifetime's work, offering a magical, enthusiastic and charming account of the writings of some of the most attractive figures ever to write English.

A portrait of 18th century England, from its princes to its paupers, from its metropolis to its smallest hamlet. The topics covered include - diet, housing, prisons, rural festivals, bordellos, plays, paintings, and work and wages.

For generations the traditional focus for those wishing to understand the roots of the modern world has been France on the eve of the Revolution. Porter certainly acknowledges France's importance, but here makes an overwhelming case for consideringBritain the true home of modernity - a country driven by an exuberance, diversity and power of invention comparable only to twentieth-century America. Porter immerses the reader in a society which, recovering from the horrors of the Civil War and decisively reinvigorated by the revolution of 1688, had emerged as something new and extraordinary - a society unlike any other in the world.

Mankind's battle to stay alive is the greatest of all subjects. This brief, witty and unusual book by Britain's greatest medical historian compresses into a tiny span a lifetime spent thinking about millennia of human ingenuity in the quest to cheat death. Each chapter sums up one of these battlefields (surgery, doctors, disease, hospitals, laboratories and the human body) in a way that is both frightening and elating. Startlingly illustrated, A SHORT HISTORY OF MEDICINE is the ideal presentfor anyone who is keenly aware of their own mortality and wants to do something about it. It is also a wonderful memorial to one of Penguin's greatest historians.

'Roy Porter, a historian of formidable range, turns to urban history in this marvellously lucid, informative and passionate book... Porter's facts are always at the service of the narrative, which has a finely maintained momentum, balancing statistics with the words of historians, diarists and novelists, poets and churchmen: Pepys, Boswell, Fielding, Walpole, Blake, Mayhew, Wells, Woolf, Spark, ... a timely and brilliant book.' CLAIRE TOMALIN, EVENING STANDARD 'A vivid celebration of the city, but also an elegy for its decline, bubbling with statistics and anecdote, from Boadicea to Betjeman.' RICHARD HOLMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOKS OF THE YEAR

This fascinating story of madness reveals the radically different perceptions of madness and approaches to its treatment, from antiquity to the present day. Roy Porter explores what we really mean by 'madness', covering an enormous range of topics from witches to creative geniuses, electric shock therapy to sexual deviancy, psychoanalysis to prozac. The origins of current debates about how we define and deal with insanity are examined through eyewitness accounts of those treating patients, writers, artists, and the mad themselves.

This fascinating story of madness reveals the radically different perceptions of madness and approaches to its treatment, from antiquity to the present day.Roy Porter explores what we really mean by ''madness'', covering an enormous range of topics from witches to creative geniuses, electric shock therapy to sexual deviancy, psychoanalysis to prozac.The origins of current debates about how we define and deal with insanity are examined through eyewitness accounts of those treating patients, writers, artists, and the mad themselves.

The history of psychiatry has emerged as one of the most rapidly growing and controversial areas of commentary in recent years. Discovering the History of Psychiatry brings together 20 studies by eminent, international contributors who explore the many complex dimensions of historical writing about the psychological sciences. The extensive coverage includes: the history of the asylum, Freud biography, and anti-psychiatry feeling, as well as discussions of individual historical figures and movements. This is the first book to present comprehensive coverage of the history of psychiatry and will make interesting reading for everyone interested in this fascinating subject.

This dictionary is part of the Oxford Reference Collection: using sustainable print-on-demand technology to make the acclaimed backlist of the Oxford Reference programme perennially available in hardback format. The original words announcing great scientific discoveries, from the first 'Eureka!' to the cloning of Dolly the sheep, can all be found in this fascinating addition to the world-famous 'Oxford Quotations' range. An essential reference tool, put together over 15 years with the assistance of a distinguished team of specialist advisers, it includes full author descriptions, exact sources, and a word-finding index for easy reference. Scholarly but accessible, it also presents the human face of science, as scientists reflect on achievements and failures in their own lives and those of others. Darwin not only describes natural selection, but carefully assesses the pros and cons of marriage, while James Clerk Maxwell constructs an electric but poetic Valentine as well as his 'demon'. From Archimed

Gout has fascinated medical writers and cultural commentators from the time of ancient Greece. Historically seen as a disease afflicting upper-class males of superior wit, genius, and creativity, it has included among its sufferers Erasmus, the Medici, Edward Gibbon, Samuel Johnson, Immanuel Kant, and Robert Browning. Gout has also been the subject of powerful medical folklore, viewed as a disease that protects its sufferers and assures long life. This dazzlingly insightful and readable book investigates the history of gout and through it offers a new perspective on medical and social history, sex, prejudice, and class, and explains why gout was gender specific.

The two Germanies, arising from the unpromising ashes of defeated Nazi Germany, came to represent opposing models of state and society. The Federal Republic established itself as a remarkably stable democracy and successful social market economy: the German Democratic Republic developed an apparently exemplary form of 'actually existing socialism' and became a pillar of the Soviet bloc. Then in 1989, the 'gentle revolution' in East Germany added a new twist with the collapse of Communist rule. With rapid reunification, the united Germany of 1990 faced new challenges as the unprecedented transformation created a multitude of economic problems and social tensions.Previously published in 1992 as The Two Germanies, this book has been fully revised and updated to take account of all the latest developments in contemporary German history.

The eighteenth-century Enlightenment was one of the most exciting and significant currents of European culture. Battling against tyranny, ignorance and superstition, it formulated the ideals which still inform our society today: a belief in reason, criticism, freedom of thought, religion and expression, the value of science, the pursuit of progress. Enlightenment thinkers undermined the ancien regime and provided the ideas for the French Revolution. Modern scholarship, however, has shown it was a more complex and ambiguous movement than commonly recognized. This book, now in a fully updated second edition, sympathetically explores the complexities of the Enlightenment. Synthesizing and evaluating the latest scholarship, it offers a new and comprehensive vision of this many-faceted movement.

Originally published in 1987, Problems and Methods in the History of Medicine is a collection of papers surveying and assessing the particular approaches and techniques which have been used in the history of medicine in the past or are still being developed (from the influence of Annales to the role of the computer). The emphasis is on historical practice rather than methodology in isolation. Besides the topics indicated above, a third problematic is that of historical demography. A common theme to all three groups of paper is the relation between quantitative ‘hard’ data and qualitative ‘soft’ data.

Originally published in 1987, Problems and Methods in the History of Medicine is a collection of papers surveying and assessing the particular approaches and techniques which have been used in the history of medicine in the past or are still being developed (from the influence of Annales to the role of the computer). The emphasis is on historical practice rather than methodology in isolation. Besides the topics indicated above, a third problematic is that of historical demography. A common theme to all three groups of paper is the relation between quantitative ‘hard’ data and qualitative ‘soft’ data.

Originally published in 1992 Medical Journals and Medical Knowledge examines both broad developments in print and media and the practice of particular journals such as the British Medical Journal. The book is the first study to address these questions and to examine the impact of regular news on the making of the medical community. The book considers the rise of the medical press, and looks at how it recorded and described principal developments and so promoted medical science and enhanced medical consciousness. This book was a seminal work when first published and was one of the first to consider the importance of the roots of medical journalism, editorial practices and the ways in which the medical journalism altered the world of medicine.

Originally published in 1992 Medical Journals and Medical Knowledge examines both broad developments in print and media and the practice of particular journals such as the British Medical Journal. The book is the first study to address these questions and to examine the impact of regular news on the making of the medical community. The book considers the rise of the medical press, and looks at how it recorded and described principal developments and so promoted medical science and enhanced medical consciousness. This book was a seminal work when first published and was one of the first to consider the importance of the roots of medical journalism, editorial practices and the ways in which the medical journalism altered the world of medicine.

Originally published in 1983, The Earth Sciences: An Annotated Bibliography is a compact and thematically organized guide that provides comprehensive access to themes and areas of study in the earth sciences. The bibliography is not exhaustive but provides a detailed and critical index to the most important literature in the field. The book’s core focus is geology and examines the subject broadly, covering everything from glaciology, geomorphology, natural history and palaeontology, to oceanography, mapping, stratigraphy and evolution. The book provides detailed essays for each bibliographical chapter on the state of each field of research and the literature compiled for each bibliography will go as far back as around 1700 and contains a wide range of sources from across the world. This book will be of interest to academics and students of natural history, geology, and environmental sciences alike.

Originally published in 1983, The Earth Sciences: An Annotated Bibliography is a compact and thematically organized guide that provides comprehensive access to themes and areas of study in the earth sciences. The bibliography is not exhaustive but provides a detailed and critical index to the most important literature in the field. The book’s core focus is geology and examines the subject broadly, covering everything from glaciology, geomorphology, natural history and palaeontology, to oceanography, mapping, stratigraphy and evolution. The book provides detailed essays for each bibliographical chapter on the state of each field of research and the literature compiled for each bibliography will go as far back as around 1700 and contains a wide range of sources from across the world. This book will be of interest to academics and students of natural history, geology, and environmental sciences alike.

First published in 1989, The Dialectics of Friendship explores the ideals and paradoxes of friendship against the backdrop of other relationships. The book begins with an introduction to the subject of friendship in its historical and cultural setting. Following chapters explore the ideal of friendship in classical Greece, and the richness and ambiguities of friendship in the Christian tradition. The social dimensions of friendship are discussed, including among children, between men, between women, and between humans and animals, and the wider historical and political aspects of friendship are examined. The Dialectics of Friendship will appeal to those with an interest in the sociology, psychology, and history of friendship, as well as psychoanalysis, literary criticism, and classics.

First published in 1989, The Dialectics of Friendship explores the ideals and paradoxes of friendship against the backdrop of other relationships. The book begins with an introduction to the subject of friendship in its historical and cultural setting. Following chapters explore the ideal of friendship in classical Greece, and the richness and ambiguities of friendship in the Christian tradition. The social dimensions of friendship are discussed, including among children, between men, between women, and between humans and animals, and the wider historical and political aspects of friendship are examined. The Dialectics of Friendship will appeal to those with an interest in the sociology, psychology, and history of friendship, as well as psychoanalysis, literary criticism, and classics.