Who Goes First?: Story of Self-experimentation in Medicine - Softcover

Altman, Lawrence K.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1853360708 ISBN 13: 9781853360701

Publisher: Equation, 1988

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Review

"Thoughtful and provocative."--Fitzhugh Mullan, "New York Times Book Review

Synopsis

This is the story of some of the doctors and medical students who, in order to further medical research, experimented on themselves with new practices and therapies for the benefit of humanity - people such as Werner Forssmann who pushed a catheter tube via a vein into his own heart and so revolutionized techniques for combating heart disease. Other examples are Frederick Prescott and Scott Smith, two researchers who completely paralyzed themselves with curare in order to demonstrate that the poison could be used as a drug that would transform the practice of surgery, and Sigmund Freud's self-experimentation with cocaine. Altman is the senior medical correspondent of the "New York Times".

Edition details

• Publisher: Equation
• Publication date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1853360708
• ISBN 13: 9781853360701
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448