Who Goes First?: The Story of Self-Experimentation in Medicine

by Lawrence K. Altman

Overview

Lawrence Altman has authored the only complete history of the controversial and understudied practice of self-experimentation. In telling the stories of pioneering researchers, Altman offers a history of many of the most important medical advancements in recent years as well as centuries past—from anesthesia to yellow fever to heart disease. With a new preface, he brings readers up to date and continues his discussion of the ethics and controversy that continue to surround a practice that benefits millions but is understood by few.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520212817
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	05/12/1998
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	454
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Lawrence K. Altman, M.D., is medical correspondent of the New York Times and Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at New York University Medical School.

Table of Contents

PREFACE to the Paperback Edition
FOREWORD by Lewis Thomas, M.D.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PROLOGUE
Chapter One: AN OVERVIEW
Chapter Two: DON'T TOUCH THE HEART
Chapter Three: THE PERILOUS ROUTE TO PAINLESS SURGERY
Chapter Four: THE CASE OF THE QUEASY CHEMISTS
Chapter Five: THE PASTEURIAN CLUB
Chapter Six: THE MYTH OF WALTER REED
Chapter Seven: TAMING THE GREATEST KILLERS
Chapter Eight: TOXIC SHOCKS
Chapter Nine: FUNGI-INFECTING AND HALLUCINATING
Chapter Ten: LIFETIMES OF SELF-EXPERIMENTING
Chapter Eleven: DIETARY DEPRIVATIONS
Chapter Twelve: THE RED CELL RIDDLE
Chapter Thirteen: BLACK AND BLUE AT THE FLICK OF A FEATHER
Chapter Fourteen: CANCER: CAN YOU GIVE IT TO YOURSELF?
Chapter Fifteen: CHOOSING THE RIGHT ANIMAL
NOTES
INDEX

What People are Saying About This

Fitzhugh Mullan

...a fascinating and thoroughly original exploration. -- The New York Times Book Review

Editorial Reviews

The ethical implications of self-experimentation are not the focus of this fascinating book. Yet the subject arises frequently as Altman explores developments in a variety of medical disciplines such as cardiology, anesthesiology, pharmacology, and parasitology. Names long associated with autoexperimentation, such as Louis Pasteur and Walter Reed, lose some luster and other names gain recognition in this collection of biographical and clinical accounts. A popular medical writer, Dr. Altman blends an easy style with meticulous research. His use of primary source material, personal interviews, and retrospective literature is impressive. This book far surpasses J. Franklin and J. Sutherland's Guinea Pig Doctors ( LJ 3/1/84) and is highly recommended for academic, medical, and public libraries. Mary Hemmings, McGill Univ. Medical Lib., Montreal

Library Journal