White Coat Tales

Book excerpt: This new edition of White Coat Tales presents intriguing stories that give historical context to what we do in medicine today—the body’s “holy bone” and how it got its name, a surprising reason why gout seemed to be so prevalent several centuries ago, and the therapeutic misadventure that shortened the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. In addition to many new tales, this revised edition contains 128 illustrations, such as images of Baron von Münchhausen aloft with cannonballs and Vincent van Gogh’s portrait of his doctor showing a clue to the painter’s health. Read about legendary medical innovators, diseases that changed history, illnesses of famous persons, and some epic blunders of physicians and scientists. The author is Robert B. Taylor, MD, Emeritus Professor, Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine, and Professor, Eastern Virginia Medical School. Dr. Taylor is the author and editor of more than 33 medical books. To see Dr. Taylor lecture on the history of medicine, go here: https://youtu.be/Zx4yaUyaPRA