Lately I’ve been into non-fiction. Some of them have been uplifting and given me renewed hope in humanity–would that there were more Dr. Mutters in the world, right? How amazing that we can treat things with antibiotics! However, some of them, although well written and fascinating, make me despair for humanity. The Devil in the White City‘s psychopathic murderer bummed me out, and I’m currently reading King Leopold’s Ghost, which is very good and also seriously so depressing. At the 50% mark, I needed a break. The public library […]
Met you on a midway at a fair last century.
I, somehow, didn’t know anything about the Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair. I don’t know how that happened, because the World’s Fair was a turning point in American culture–and it sounds like it was awesome. The 1893 World’s Fair introduced us to Ferris Wheels, AC current, the Pledge of Allegiance, Shredded Wheat, Pabst Blue Ribbon, zippers, Juicy Fruit, the word “Midway,” Columbus Day, and that snake charmer song that is still a national earworm. It hosted Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and, […]
Seriously though, modern medicine is the best.
After being thoroughly taken by Dr. Mutter, I went on a medical history kick. Next stop: antibiotics. The title of this book is a little misleading. While there is, indeed, a German doctor Gerhard Domagk that Hager returns to throughout the narrative, this is actually the story of the many doctors, labs, marketers, wars, countries, and strokes of luck that led to the discovery of the first antibiotic, sulfa, and how that changed the world–and the world of medicine. Starting in the trenches of WWI, Hager details the devastation […]
Doctor, doctor, give me the news.
After reading Schmookaria’s review, I ran right over to Amazon and picked this up. And I enjoyed every minute of it! This is the story of Dr. Thomas Mütter and the birth of modern medicine in America. I’ll just steal this part from Amazon’s summary because I like how they put it so succinctly: Brilliant, outspoken, and brazenly handsome, Mütter was flamboyant in every aspect of his life. He wore pink silk suits to perform surgery, added an umlaut to his last name just because he could, and […]
Another Pregnancy Book I Would Actually Buy for Someone
If I had to summarize this book in one word, it would be “reassuring.” This is a book written by three OB/GYNs who are also moms. It gives a general but helpful overview of what to expect in each of the three trimester and the “fourth trimester” until baby is 3 months old. There are frequent anecdotes from both their practice and their own pregnancy experiences that help ground their advice and keep it interesting and real. Each of the authors had their own challenges with pregnancy […]
Expecting Better than “What to Expect…”
Well, I just got back from my first real ultrasound and now the internet/world knows that we’re expecting a little Fiat.Luxury Jr. in 6 months! So naturally, I’ve been reading–and hate-reading–a lot of pregnancy books. There are a lot of pregnancy books out there, you guys. And a lot of them are condescending, fear-mongering, and almost useless. I won’t be reviewing all of them because I have other, better books that I want to review, but anyone who’s ever picked up a pregnancy book will be […]
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