Blood and Guts: A Short History of Medicine

As others (including Porter himself) have noted, this is a pared-down version of [b:The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity 340577 The Greatest Benefit to Mankind A Medical History of Humanity Roy Porter https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388321686s/340577.jpg 1963028]. If you wanted to actually learn the history of medicine, I'd start with that one instead. Clocking in at just under 200 pages and spanning over 2000 years, this was not just a highlights reel, it was a greatest hits. There is no discussion of any negative consequences at all, with the exception of a brief extra line for Thalidomide, until the final few pages of ripping into US insurance-based healthcare. Porter seems to expect the reader to know the names of the key players and institutions, although if you knew them already I'd suspect you'd be looking for something with more depth than this one provides.Although Porter doesn't reference the book, he does provide further reading for each chapter, and a general bibliography. This is the greatest strength of the book. Unless it is required reading or something you've picked up for a quick read from your library, I'd pass on this book altogether.