Biographies of Disease – serie

For 150 years, Down's Syndrome has constituted the archetypal mental disability, easily recognisable by distinct facial anomalies and physical stigmata. In a narrow medical sense, Down's syndrome is a common disorder caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British asylum medical superintendent who described the syndrome as Mongolism in a series of lectures in 1866. In 1959, the disorder was identified as a chromosome 21 trisomy by the French paediatrician and geneticist Jérôme Lejeune and has since been known as Down's Syndrome (in the English-speaking world) or Trisomy 21 (in many European countries). But children and adults born with this chromosomal abnormality have an important collective history beyond their evident importance to the history of medical science.David Wright, a Professor in the History of Medicine at McMaster University, looks at the care and treatment of Down's sufferers - described for much of history as 'idiots', - from Medieval Europe to the present day. The discovery of the genetic basis of the condition and the profound changes in attitudes, care, and early identification of Down's in the genetic era, reflects the fascinating medical and social history of the disorder.

The nineteenth century seems to have been full of hysterical women - or so they were diagnosed. Where are they now? The very disease no longer exists. In this fascinating account, Andrew Scull tells the story of Hysteria - an illness that disappeared not through medical endeavour, but through growing understanding and cultural change. More generally, it raises the question of how diseases are framed, and how conceptions of a disease change through history.The lurid history of hysteria makes fascinating reading. Charcot's clinics showed off flamboyantly 'hysterical' patients taking on sexualized poses, and among the visiting professionals was one Sigmund Freud. Scull discusses the origins of the idea of hysteria, the development of a neurological approach by John Sydenham and others, hysteria as a fashionable condition, and its growth from the 17th century. Some regarded it as a peculiarly English malady, 'the natural concomitant of England's greater civilization and refinement'. Women were the majority of patients, and the illness became associated with female biology, resulting in some gruesome 'treatments'. Charcot and Freud were key practitioners defining the nature of the illness. But curiously, the illness seemed to swap gender during the First World War when male hysterics frequently suffering from shell shock were also subjected to brutal 'treatments'. Subsequently, the 'disease' declined and eventually disappeared, at least in professional circles, though attenuated elements remain, reclassified for instance as post-traumatic stress disorder.Hysteria: the biography is part of the Oxford series, Biographies of Diseases, edited by William and Helen Bynum. In each individual volume an expert historian or clinician tells the story of a particular disease or condition throughout history - not only in terms of growing medical understanding of its nature and cure, but also shifting social and cultural attitudes, and changes in the meaning of the name of the disease itself.

Aimed at front-line and senior managers faced with ongoing reorganization and an increasingly reluctant workforce, this book examines what it takes to facilitate problem solving, decision-making, and workforce retention and commitment. Gottlieb explains that managers can most effectively facilitate by adopting a hands-on strategy for processes rather than tasks. This book describes the skills and tools needed for leading and managing groups with consistency, commitment, and courage.Six core skills essential to facilitating group processes are presented:^L ^DBL Initiating^L ^DBL Questioning^L ^DBL Active Listening^L ^DBL Responding^L ^DBL Resolving^L ^DBL Closing/Committing^L Gottlieb discusses the most helpful tools a manager can use for facilitation, including planning, organizing, and directing group processes. Ethical guidelines are provided in conjunction with a discussion of the manager's role in the facilitation process.

Diseases have a history, and understanding that history helps us understand how best to treat and control disease today. Today's students are confronted with a panoply of often-frightening illnesses and afflictions - the Biography of Diseases series provides students with the information that they need to understand the origin of various maladies, how they impact contemporary society, and how doctors and researchers from around the world are fighting to devise treatments to alleviate or cure these diseases. This volume, Parkinson's Disease, covers the history and life story of the neuromuscular disease that is famous for the numerous celebrities who have suffered from the disease - Janet Reno, Michael J. Fox, Pope John Paul II. The volume covers diagnosis, treatment, complications, impact on life and family, and research into the disease.

Diseases have a history, and understanding that history helps us understand how best to treat and control disease today. Today's students are confronted with a panoply of often-frightening illnesses and afflictions - the Biography of Diseases series provides students with the information that they need to understand the origin of various maladies, how they impact contemporary society, and how doctors and researchers from around the world are fighting to devise treatments to alleviate or cure these diseases. This volume, Depression, addresses a disease that confronts millions of young people every year, causing significant damage to their emotional and physical health.Depression examines all aspects of the affliction, including: Depression through the ages, from its earliest mention to the present, including how depression is portrayed in the arts. The demographics of the disorder - who is most likely to have depression, and what the prognosis would be. The clinical description of depression, including both physical and psychological symptoms. Current techniques for testing for depression, including DNA testing and brain scans. An examination of the current research, and the possible treatments for the future. The volume includes a glossary of important terms and a bibliography of accessible works that discuss the disease.

Diseases have a history, and understanding that history helps us understand how best to treat and control disease today. Today's students are confronted with a panoply of often-frightening illnesses and afflictions - the Biographies of Disease series provides students with the information that they need to understand the origin of various maladies, how they impact contemporary society, and how doctors and researchers from around the world are fighting to devise treatments to alleviate or cure these diseases. This volume, Stroke, covers a common affliction that comes in many different forms, which can be fatal or leave the patient disabled, and which strikes a surprising number of younger people.

Diseases have a history, and understanding that history helps us understand how best to treat and control disease today. Today's students are confronted with a panoply of often-frightening illnesses and afflictions - the Biographies of Disease series provides students with the information that they need to understand the origin of various maladies, how they impact contemporary society, and how doctors and researchers from around the world are fighting to devise treatments to alleviate or cure these diseases. This volume, Diabetes, covers a disease that has been a common affliction from the beginning of recorded history, but has been increasing in its impact because of changes in diet and exercise, especially among the young.Diabetes examines all aspects of this disease, including: The diagnosis and treatment of diabetes from the ancient period to the present day. The definition of the various types of diabetes, and the rule of glucose and insulin.Diagnosis and treatment, with an emphasis on prevention for those at risk.The cultural impact of the disease - on individuals, on families, and on the economy.The state of current research on new forms of insulin, blood glucose meters, transplants, and weight control. The volume includes a glossary of important terms and a bibliography of accessible works that discuss the disease.

This volume covers a common infectious disease that afflicts millions every year—the flu—but one that has the potential of being at the center of a new pandemic, similar to the one that killed millions during 1918.Influenza examines all aspects of this disease, including:• The influenza virus and how it leads to infection in humans. • The definition of epidemics and pandemics, and a description of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918. • The clinical signs and symptoms of influenza, and how it impacts special populations, such as the elderly and HIV-infected patients • The treatment and prevention of the flu The volume includes a glossary of important terms and a bibliography of accessible works that discuss the disease.

This volume covers a common infectious disease that afflicts millions every year—the flu—but one that has the potential of being at the center of a new pandemic, similar to the one that killed millions during 1918.Influenza examines all aspects of this disease, including: • The influenza virus and how it leads to infection in humans. • The definition of epidemics and pandemics, and a description of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918. • The clinical signs and symptoms of influenza, and how it impacts special populations, such as the elderly and HIV-infected patients • The treatment and prevention of the flu The volume includes a glossary of important terms and a bibliography of accessible works that discuss the disease.

Diseases have a history, and understanding that history helps us understand how best to treat and control disease today. Today's students are confronted with a panoply of often-frightening illnesses and afflictions - the Biographies of Disease series provides students with the information that they need to understand the origin of various maladies, how they impact contemporary society, and how doctors and researchers from around the world are fighting to devise treatments to alleviate or cure these diseases. This volume, ADHD, examines Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the controversial affliction with which millions of boys and girls are diagnosed every year.The volume includes a glossary of important terms and a bibliography of accessible works that discuss the disorder.

Diseases have a history, and understanding that history helps us understand how best to treat and control disease today. Today's students are confronted with a panoply of often-frightening illnesses and afflictions - the Biographies of Disease series provides students with the information that they need to understand the origin of various maladies, how they impact contemporary society, and how doctors and researchers from around the world are fighting to devise treatments to alleviate or cure these diseases. This volume, ADHD, examines Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the controversial affliction with which millions of boys and girls are diagnosed every year.

Diseases have a history, and understanding that history helps us understand how best to treat and control disease today. Today's students are confronted with a panoply of often-frightening illnesses and afflictions—the Biography of Diseases series provides students with the information that they need to understand the origin of various maladies, how they impact contemporary society, and how doctors and diseases researchers from around the world are fighting to devise treatments to alleviate or cure these. This volume, Rabies, examines that disease that caused fear and panic for centuries because of the horror of dying of rabies and the near certainty of death once one has contracted the disease. And despite the famous vaccine discovered by Louis Pasteur in the 19th centuries, thousands still die of rabies every year in developing countries.

Diseases have a history, and understanding that history helps us understand how best to treat and control disease today. Today's students are confronted with a panoply of often-frightening illnesses and afflictions—the Biography of Diseases series provides students with the information that they need to understand the origin of various maladies, how they impact contemporary society, and how doctors and diseases researchers from around the world are fighting to devise treatments to alleviate or cure these. This volume, Rabies, examines that disease that caused fear and panic for centuries because of the horror of dying of rabies and the near certainty of death once one has contracted the disease. And despite the famous vaccine discovered by Louis Pasteur in the 19th centuries, thousands still die of rabies every year in developing countries.

Few issues cause as much strife in contemporary society as does the cause and treatment of autism. Stories about the autism epidemic abound on talk shows and make headlines in newspapers and magazines. Celebrities and politicians express their personal opinions on the cause (or causes) of the increase in autism spectrum disorders (or ASDs), opinions often not shared by the conventional scientific community. Parents, family members, schools and government-funded agencies struggle to do the right thing for individuals with ASDs, This volume in the Biographies of Disease series provides an understandable, non-biased guide to the quagmire of information about ASDs. This foundation will enable readers to better understand the statements made by various authorities on ASDs. Autism covers all aspects of our historical and current understanding of autism spectrum disorders. The text starts with the recognition of autism in the forties and traces the development of ways to diagnose autism, explains why autism has been expanded to the autistic spectrum disorders. The author covers what is known and not known about the autism epidemic and the causes of ASDs. The critical importance of screening and early intervention is emphasized with respect to outcome for individuals with ASDs. Promising areas of research are highlighted. After reading this book, the reader will be able to place the latest breaking news about ASDs into perspective. While it is not yet possible to answer all of the questions about autism, this book allows the reader to follow along as the mystery is unraveled.Autism covers all aspects of our historical and current understanding of autism spectrum disorders: The recognition of autism in the forties and the development of ways to diagnose autism; why autism has been expanded to the autistic spectrum disorders; what is known and not known about the autism epidemic and the causes of ASDs; the importance of screening and early intervention as well as information about outcome for individuals with ASDs; and promising areas of research.After reading this book, the reader will be able to place the latest breaking news about ASDs into perspective. While it is not yet possible to answer all of the questions about autism, this book allows the reader to follow along as the mystery is unraveled.

Few issues cause as much strife in contemporary society as does the cause and treatment of autism. Stories about the autism epidemic abound on talk shows and make headlines in newspapers and magazines. Celebrities and politicians express their personal opinions on the cause (or causes) of the increase in autism spectrum disorders (or ASDs), opinions often not shared by the conventional scientific community. Parents, family members, schools and government-funded agencies struggle to do the right thing for individuals with ASDs, This volume in the Biographies of Disease series provides an understandable, non-biased guide to the quagmire of information about ASDs. This foundation will enable readers to better understand the statements made by various authorities on ASDs. Autism covers all aspects of our historical and current understanding of autism spectrum disorders. The text starts with the recognition of autism in the forties and traces the development of ways to diagnose autism, explains why autism has been expanded to the autistic spectrum disorders. The author covers what is known and not known about the autism epidemic and the causes of ASDs. The critical importance of screening and early intervention is emphasized with respect to outcome for individuals with ASDs. Promising areas of research are highlighted. After reading this book, the reader will be able to place the latest breaking news about ASDs into perspective. While it is not yet possible to answer all of the questions about autism, this book allows the reader to follow along as the mystery is unraveled.Autism covers all aspects of our historical and current understanding of autism spectrum disorders: The recognition of autism in the forties and the development of ways to diagnose autism; why autism has been expanded to the autistic spectrum disorders; what is known and not known about the autism epidemic and the causes of ASDs; the importance of screening and early intervention as well as information about outcome for individuals with ASDs; and promising areas of research.After reading this book, the reader will be able to place the latest breaking news about ASDs into perspective. While it is not yet possible to answer all of the questions about autism, this book allows the reader to follow along as the mystery is unraveled.

Most people take eating for granted - but for some, eating can be downright dangerous. Thirty thousand Americans are hospitalized each year due to an allergic food reaction and peanut allergies in American children doubled from 1997 to 2002. Between two and ten percent of children are affected by food allergies worldwide and adverse food reactions increased hospital admissions by five hundred percent in the United Kingdom during the past two decades. Asthma cases, a reliable indicator of food allergy susceptibility, increased one hundred percent during the last thirty years. While most people assume they have a food allergy, only a very small percentage of cases are a true food allergy. For reasons still unknown, the human immune system reacts abnormally to certain foods. However, medical disorders, increased globalization of the food supply, and an upsurge of processed and convenience foods that contain food additives may also cause adverse food reactions as well. Accurate diagnosis can be extremely tricky and many sufferers never learn what causes their symptoms.Why are adverse food reactions on the rise? How can an accurate diagnosis be made? Is it even possible to enjoy foods and stay safe and healthy? These are just some of the questions this book will answer while helping the reader to learn all they can about why adverse food reactions happen, distinguish between a true food allergy and a food hypersensitivity, and outline strategies to successfully manage and live with them.

Most people take eating for granted - but for some, eating can be downright dangerous. Thirty thousand Americans are hospitalized each year due to an allergic food reaction and peanut allergies in American children doubled from 1997 to 2002. Between two and ten percent of children are affected by food allergies worldwide and adverse food reactions increased hospital admissions by five hundred percent in the United Kingdom during the past two decades. Asthma cases, a reliable indicator of food allergy susceptibility, increased one hundred percent during the last thirty years. While most people assume they have a food allergy, only a very small percentage of cases are a true food allergy. For reasons still unknown, the human immune system reacts abnormally to certain foods. However, medical disorders, increased globalization of the food supply, and an upsurge of processed and convenience foods that contain food additives may also cause adverse food reactions as well. Accurate diagnosis can be extremely tricky and many sufferers never learn what causes their symptoms.Why are adverse food reactions on the rise? How can an accurate diagnosis be made? Is it even possible to enjoy foods and stay safe and healthy? These are just some of the questions this book will answer while helping the reader to learn all they can about why adverse food reactions happen, distinguish between a true food allergy and a food hypersensitivity, and outline strategies to successfully manage and live with them.

An overview written for general readers of the history, prevention, treatment, causes, and consequences of obesity.What makes obesity a disease instead of just a matter of overeating? What are the genetic and environmental factors behind it? What new breakthroughs are being developing to combat it? This concise, information-rich volume looks at these and other important questions, clearing away misconceptions about this devastating condition.Obesity explains what scientists now know about the causes and consequences of being overweight, including the latest on the links between obesity and heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, asthma, and sleep difficulties. The book pays specific attention to the problem among obese young people, who more and more are being diagnosed with chronic illnesses that used to only be seen in adults. It also reports on promising efforts to battle obesity, from medical treatments to community awareness programs.The work is combines materials from history, epidemiology, behavioral science, surgery, pharmacology, economics, and policyIncludes a glossary of key terms related to the study of obesity

An overview written for general readers of the history, prevention, treatment, causes, and consequences of obesity.What makes obesity a disease instead of just a matter of overeating? What are the genetic and environmental factors behind it? What new breakthroughs are being developing to combat it? This concise, information-rich volume looks at these and other important questions, clearing away misconceptions about this devastating condition.Obesity explains what scientists now know about the causes and consequences of being overweight, including the latest on the links between obesity and heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, asthma, and sleep difficulties. The book pays specific attention to the problem among obese young people, who more and more are being diagnosed with chronic illnesses that used to only be seen in adults. It also reports on promising efforts to battle obesity, from medical treatments to community awareness programs.

A compelling account of the most feared childhood disease of the 20th century and its impact on victims and medical science.This new title in the Biographies of Disease series offers a thorough examination of medical and scientific efforts to battle polio, from the 19th-century identification of the virus to the great 20th-century epidemics, from the unprecedented campaign to find a vaccine to recent efforts to confront polio in West Africa and South Asia and eliminate it entirely.Beyond the science, Polio looks at the effects of the disease on individuals and the United States as a whole. The book gives readers a sense of what it was like to have polio and to recover from it. It also describes how the search for answers to polio led to the rise of one of America’s premier medical charities—the March of Dimes—and how modern physical therapy practices emerged alongside the polio epidemics of the 20th century.A chronology of key events in the scientific, medical, and social history of polioRarely seen photographs from the archives of the March of Dimes, providing a visual history of treatments for the disease

A compelling account of the most feared childhood disease of the 20th century and its impact on victims and medical science.This new title in the Biographies of Disease series offers a thorough examination of medical and scientific efforts to battle polio, from the 19th-century identification of the virus to the great 20th-century epidemics, from the unprecedented campaign to find a vaccine to recent efforts to confront polio in West Africa and South Asia and eliminate it entirely.Beyond the science, Polio looks at the effects of the disease on individuals and the United States as a whole. The book gives readers a sense of what it was like to have polio and to recover from it. It also describes how the search for answers to polio led to the rise of one of America''s premier medical charities—the March of Dimes—and how modern physical therapy practices emerged alongside the polio epidemics of the 20th century.

An intriguing look at the history of alcoholism and its dramatic effects, from the first fermented grape to current advances in genetic research.Alcoholism tells the story of a disease familiar to many yet not well understood. It is the first "biography" of alcohol abuse that gauges its devastating effects on the body, the family, the economy, and the community.Alcoholism provides the latest understanding of the disease as a behavioral dysfunction and a biological condition. Coverage includes the origins of alcohol and the discovery of alcoholism as a medical disease; the biology of alcoholism and its effects on the body; and current diagnostic and treatment methods for alcoholism. In addition, the book explores the effects on society of such alcoholism-related problems as domestic abuse, fetal alcohol syndrome, drunk driving, and suicide, as well as promising new directions in alcoholism research, awareness, treatment, and prevention.

An intriguing look at the history of alcoholism and its dramatic effects, from the first fermented grape to current advances in genetic research.Alcoholism tells the story of a disease familiar to many yet not well understood. It is the first "biography" of alcohol abuse that gauges its devastating effects on the body, the family, the economy, and the community.Alcoholism provides the latest understanding of the disease as a behavioral dysfunction and a biological condition. Coverage includes the origins of alcohol and the discovery of alcoholism as a medical disease; the biology of alcoholism and its effects on the body; and current diagnostic and treatment methods for alcoholism. In addition, the book explores the effects on society of such alcoholism-related problems as domestic abuse, fetal alcohol syndrome, drunk driving, and suicide, as well as promising new directions in alcoholism research, awareness, treatment, and prevention.

Written in accessible but medically accurate prose, Anorexia provides a detailed explanation of how the diagnosis of anorexia is made, common physical and personality characteristics of those affected by the illness, and both short and long-term complications. Anorexia takes the discussion a step further than similar books on the subject by placing the disease in context with a broad survey of the history of self-starvation from Antiquity to the present, and it tackles the difficult question of whether anorexia nervosa existed before the 19th century or is a uniquely modern disease. The book evaluates in detail the social, economic and cultural environments within which self-starvation has occurred historically, and it analyzes competing theories of the disease's origins—including sociocultural, developmental, biochemical, and genetic hypotheses. The book also provides coverage of several often overlooked topics, such as the incidence of anorexia among young men, and it makes use of the personal narrative of an anorexic throughout to give the reader some sense of what it feels like to have anorexia and what someone with anorexia may be thinking.

Written in accessible but medically accurate prose, Anorexia provides a detailed explanation of how the diagnosis of anorexia is made, common physical and personality characteristics of those affected by the illness, and both short and long-term complications. Anorexia takes the discussion a step further than similar books on the subject by placing the disease in context with a broad survey of the history of self-starvation from Antiquity to the present, and it tackles the difficult question of whether anorexia nervosa existed before the 19th century or is a uniquely modern disease. The book evaluates in detail the social, economic and cultural environments within which self-starvation has occurred historically, and it analyzes competing theories of the disease's origins—including sociocultural, developmental, biochemical, and genetic hypotheses. The book also provides coverage of several often overlooked topics, such as the incidence of anorexia among young men, and it makes use of the personal narrative of an anorexic throughout to give the reader some sense of what it feels like to have anorexia and what someone with anorexia may be thinking.

This volume traces the history of the field of sports medicine and offers an informative survey of the evaluation and treatment of sports injuries across the life cycle.Sports Injuries tells the story of a specific area of medicine that can be traced back as far as the days of the gladiators, but has, like so many medical fields, undergone a dramatic transformation with new technology-based methods of diagnosis and treatment.Written by a clinical instructor at Harvard and former athletic trainer at Notre Dame, Sports Injuries provides an overview of the common injuries sustained by athletes of all ages and levels of competition. In easily understandable language, it takes readers step by step through the process doctors follow when diagnosing and treating sports injuries, including the reasons why the same injury might require different treatment depending on the age, gender, or skill level of the person involved.A glossary explaining important medical and biological terms in everyday languageAn extensive bibliography of helpful additional print and online resources

This volume traces the history of the field of sports medicine and offers an informative survey of the evaluation and treatment of sports injuries across the life cycle.Sports Injuries tells the story of a specific area of medicine that can be traced back as far as the days of the gladiators, but has, like so many medical fields, undergone a dramatic transformation with new technology-based methods of diagnosis and treatment.Written by a clinical instructor at Harvard and former athletic trainer at Notre Dame, Sports Injuries provides an overview of the common injuries sustained by athletes of all ages and levels of competition. In easily understandable language, it takes readers step by step through the process doctors follow when diagnosing and treating sports injuries, including the reasons why the same injury might require different treatment depending on the age, gender, or skill level of the person involved.

Once a certain death sentence and often a cause for shame, cancer is now a treatable disease. Cancer provides a broad introduction to this complex family of diseases, tracing the fascinating history of scientific discoveries that led to today’s sophisticated treatments. This extraordinary new volume, coauthored by three leaders in cancer research and surgery at Harvard Medical School, uses scientifically accurate yet accessible language to give readers a firm grounding in such essential concepts as angiogenesis and the genetics of cancer. In addition to information about types of cancer, diagnosis, and treatment, Cancer places special emphasis on new frontiers in research, psychological aspects of a cancer diagnosis, and quality-of-life issues for those living with disease. Useful features include a comprehensive glossary, a timeline of milestones in cancer research, and an appendix for students on how to pursue a career in science or medicine.

Once a certain death sentence and often a cause for shame, cancer is now a treatable disease. Cancer provides a broad introduction to this complex family of diseases, tracing the fascinating history of scientific discoveries that led to today''s sophisticated treatments. This extraordinary new volume, coauthored by three leaders in cancer research and surgery at Harvard Medical School, uses scientifically accurate yet accessible language to give readers a firm grounding in such essential concepts as angiogenesis and the genetics of cancer. In addition to information about types of cancer, diagnosis, and treatment, Cancer places special emphasis on new frontiers in research, psychological aspects of a cancer diagnosis, and quality-of-life issues for those living with disease. Useful features include a comprehensive glossary, a timeline of milestones in cancer research, and an appendix for students on how to pursue a career in science or medicine.