Dějiny medicíny od starověku po současnost – Porter Roy (2015)

The History of Medicine by Roy Porter is an extraordinary work that summarizes and evaluates the entire development of practical medicine and medical science to date. The author seeks to capture the increasingly rapid and dynamic progress of medicine, while also acknowledging its current limits and newly emerging problems – such as the changing nature of the relationship between doctor and patient, the threat of new diseases, and the still very limited successes in the fight against oncological diseases. The development of medicine and medical science is presented against a broader religious, scientific, economic, social, and political backdrop – against the backdrop of the history of human culture as a whole. Throughout the history of medicine, as depicted in the book, runs a desire to understand the true causes of various pathological conditions, the possibilities of treating and preventing them, which Porter considers the main driving force behind the progress of medical science. The book primarily focuses on Western medicine from antiquity to the present, but it also offers a brief insight into the traditions of Eastern medicine (Arab, Chinese, and Indian) for comparison; it briefly recalls the main currents and representatives of modern alternative medicine. The need to understand why and how diseases arise, how to protect against them, and how the human body functions precisely has brought about a revolution in...