Summary

This slim volume dips into "quotable quotes" drawn from literature and historical writings dating back several centuries. The quotes are put forth by physicians, patients, observers of medical issues, and writers of fiction as well as essayists. Each quote is but a few lines. The author, the source, and the date (when known) are provided for each quotation.

Many of these quotations will be familiar to persons who are widely read or who study the literature by and about medicine. Some of the quotes are scatological in the sense that they address issues of bodily parts and functions; others are simply amusing, while many are profound observations. The range is wide and the selections eclectic.

Commentary

This is not a collection for the faint of heart, but touches on the reality of the practice of medicine, both from the providers' and the patients' viewpoints. Browsing this little volume stimulates both the reader of literature and medicine and the history of medicine to look further. In addition to its entertainment value, the book, for me, introduced some ideas I had never seen expressed before and some interesting historical insights.

Miscellaneous

First copyright 1991 by Robert Wilkins; Marboro, a division of Barnes and Noble, published by arrangement with Robert Hale, Ltd.

Publisher

Marboro Books

Place Published

New York

Edition

1992

Editor

Robert Wilkins

Page Count

96