The Breast Cancer Wars: Hope, Fear, and the Pursuit of a Cure in Twentieth-Century America
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.47 (812 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0195161068 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 416 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-07-02 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
He and others were convinced that it was the biology of the cancer, rather than how early it was diagnosed, that determined whether or not a tumor would metastasize. Agent, Michele Rubin. (May)Forecast: A controversial book on a hot-button issue, this may not be widely read, but it will be widely discussed.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.. From Publishers Weekly Sure to be controversial, this prodigiously researched medical and cultural history examines deeply held views on the treatment of breast cancer, particularly the societal embrace of a "war on cancer" rather than an emphasis on prevention. Lerner (a physician and medical historian at Columbia's College of Physicians an
A MUST READ for every woman Barron Lerner's "Breast Cancer Wars" joins Ellen Leopold's "Darker Ribbon" as an eyeopening look backstage at the Breast Cancer Follies in America. They are both important books, and make many of the same points, but if you are of a mind to read only one history of this disease, make it this one.Leopold's book, written from a frankly feminist (and that's OK)point of view is. "Frightening and fascinating. You must read it." according to ealovitt. Before signing the consent forms for my lumpectomy, I asked my surgeon if there was a possibility that I might wake up from my operation without a breast. "No," he said, "we don't do that any longer."Ah, but they used to. In fact, according to "The Breast Cancer Wars" it was standard procedure during most of the twentieth century for a woman to go under the knife for a biop. "Interested Reader" according to Reviewer. A well-researched and clearly written work that is less polemical than a reader may have been led to expect. If you want to know how it is that the importance of early detection has come to seem axiomatic despite evidence of its limited value, the answer lies in the history of cancer propaganda. This volume offers good information about that subject, as well as about change
Revisiting the past, Lerner argues, can illuminate and clarify the dilemmas confronted by women with--and at risk for--the disease. There are colorful portraits of the leading figures, ranging from the acerbic Dr. Lerner offers a superb medical and cultural history of our century-long battle with breast cancer. And for this new paperback edition, Lerner has included a postscript in which he discusses the most recent breast cancer controversy: do mammograms truly lower mortality rates or do they lead to unnecessary mastectomies? In Lerner's hands, the fight against breast cancer opens a window on American medical practice over the last century: the pursuit of dramatic cures with sophisticated technologies, the ethical and legal challenges raised by informed consent, and the limited ability of scientific knowledge to provide quick solutions for serious illnesses. Writing with insight and compassion, Lerner tells a compelling story of influential surgeons, anxious patients and committed activists. Lerner offers a fascinating account of the breast cancer wars: the insistent efforts of physicians to vanquish the "enemy"; the fights waged by feminists to combat a paternalistic legacy that silenced patients; and the struggles of statisticians and researchers to generate definitive data in the face of the great risks and uncertainties raised by the disease. The Breast Cancer Wars tells a story that is of vital importance to modern breast cancer patients, their fam