You Bet Your Life: From Blood Transfusions to Mass Vaccination, the Long and Risky History of Medical Innovation
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- Author：Paul A. Offit
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Summary
One of America’s top physicians traces the history of risk in medicine—with powerful lessons for today
Every medical decision—whether to have chemotherapy， an X-ray， or surgery—is a risk， no matter which way you choose。 In You Bet Your Life， physician Paul A。 Offit argues that， from the first blood transfusions four hundred years ago to the hunt for a COVID-19 vaccine， risk has been essential to the discovery of new treatments。 More importantly， understanding the risks is crucial to whether， as a society or as individuals， we accept them。
Told in Offit’s vigorous and rigorous style， You Bet Your Life is an entertaining history of medicine。 But it also lays bare the tortured relationships between intellectual breakthroughs， political realities， and human foibles。 Our pandemic year has shown us， with its debates over lockdowns， masks， and vaccines， how easy it is to get everything wrong。 You Bet Your Life is an essential read for getting the future a bit more right。
Every medical decision—whether to have chemotherapy， an X-ray， or surgery—is a risk， no matter which way you choose。 In You Bet Your Life， physician Paul A。 Offit argues that， from the first blood transfusions four hundred years ago to the hunt for a COVID-19 vaccine， risk has been essential to the discovery of new treatments。 More importantly， understanding the risks is crucial to whether， as a society or as individuals， we accept them。
Told in Offit’s vigorous and rigorous style， You Bet Your Life is an entertaining history of medicine。 But it also lays bare the tortured relationships between intellectual breakthroughs， political realities， and human foibles。 Our pandemic year has shown us， with its debates over lockdowns， masks， and vaccines， how easy it is to get everything wrong。 You Bet Your Life is an essential read for getting the future a bit more right。
Reviews
Rennie
，
I'm a bit torn here。 I love his books， they're completely page-turning and very informative and easily understandble and readable in a way that's so helpful for non-sciencey types like me。 And I know he's pro-vaccine， obviously， as he retells part of the story here of his work on the rotavirus vaccine。 But the overall effect of some real-life horror stories， especially those that happened to kids， is really bad。 It's an interesting topic， no doubt - and one that I always kind of wondered about， I'm a bit torn here。 I love his books， they're completely page-turning and very informative and easily understandble and readable in a way that's so helpful for non-sciencey types like me。 And I know he's pro-vaccine， obviously， as he retells part of the story here of his work on the rotavirus vaccine。 But the overall effect of some real-life horror stories， especially those that happened to kids， is really bad。 It's an interesting topic， no doubt - and one that I always kind of wondered about， like how did we learn what worked and what didn't in medicine？ But eek， it is just not the time to give any fuel to the fire of vaccine skepticism or hesitancy。Again， I know that's not what he meant or wanted to do。 His point is that we have to decide how much risk is acceptable for us， and despite the worst cases where things went wrong or what choices were the right or wrong ones， the risk of the eventual treatments versus trying your luck with the illness is a no-brainer。 So I don't know。 It's preaching to the choir with me because I'm already on his side but I worry about people remembering the impacting， emotional， heartbreaking cases over the breakthroughs and successes they eventually helped bring about。 It's a precarious time for this。 。。。more
Amanda
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A most useful and well-documented book that brings into light some forgotten moments in the history of science。 Written in plain and accessible terms， it is a recommended reading。
Flora
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 "People would soon be forced to decide between the risk of getting covid19 and the risk of getting a vaccine that had not been subjected to the typical research， development， testing， and licensure processes。 [。。。] As has been true for virtually every vaccine ever made， the first vaccines aren't always the best， safest， and last"。 Very interesting book， well researched and easy to read from the man who co-invented a rotavirus vaccine。 However， I find kinda weird that I recently saw him on TV def "People would soon be forced to decide between the risk of getting covid19 and the risk of getting a vaccine that had not been subjected to the typical research， development， testing， and licensure processes。 [。。。] As has been true for virtually every vaccine ever made， the first vaccines aren't always the best， safest， and last"。 Very interesting book， well researched and easy to read from the man who co-invented a rotavirus vaccine。 However， I find kinda weird that I recently saw him on TV defending covid vaccine mandates and pushing for vaccinating kids against covid when his book is basically a reminder that there are always risks associated with new technologies and people should be aware of them and make their own decisions based on that。I guess he changed his mind since writing the book 🤷🏽♀️ 。。。more
Brynn
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3。5 stars。 I think this book is a little premature but it offers a good glimpse into how medical advances actually come about。 It loses the message in the middle but overall I think it’s respectful and informative。
Rick Elinson
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Offit has written a tremendous book on the costs and trials of medical innovation。 He writes in a very entertaining way and connects many unexpected dots。 Offit discusses risks and promises of the introduction of blood transfusion， heart transplant， gene therapy， X-rays， chemotherapy， and others。 In most cases， there were initial deaths or errors and missteps， some of which could have been avoided but some of which opened up fresh unknown problems that had to be tackled。 Offit discusses the weig Offit has written a tremendous book on the costs and trials of medical innovation。 He writes in a very entertaining way and connects many unexpected dots。 Offit discusses risks and promises of the introduction of blood transfusion， heart transplant， gene therapy， X-rays， chemotherapy， and others。 In most cases， there were initial deaths or errors and missteps， some of which could have been avoided but some of which opened up fresh unknown problems that had to be tackled。 Offit discusses the weighing of risks of using new medical technologies vs。 choosing to face the disease without protection or means of rescue。 Because this book is so new， he relates these risk considerations to the current Covid pandemic。I do have one question for Offit， and it is related to the story of gene therapy， much of which played out at the University of Pennsylvania， where Offit is employed。 What is Offit's relationship to Jim Wilson， Steven Raper， and other principal players in this story？ Perhaps that is in one of his many other books。 。。。more
Natalie Belle
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One of the most interesting non-fiction books I have read to date。 Well written for understanding some of the public health controversies in today's world。 I read this in two days after I saw an interview with Dr。 Offit on Book TV。 Great and informative book。 One of the most interesting non-fiction books I have read to date。 Well written for understanding some of the public health controversies in today's world。 I read this in two days after I saw an interview with Dr。 Offit on Book TV。 Great and informative book。 。。。more
Petra kissed a prince and he turned into a frog
，
Read it on the plane to Miami。 With boyfriend now， Miami， now Delray Beach， tomorrow Marathon Key in nice Mustang with the top down， loud music。 Will resume reading on the plane home from Miami， hopefully not before。 Wish me luck！
Orlin Kovachev
，
The latest wonderful book by Paul A。 Offit。 I have read many others and intent to read them all。Not only because I am interested in the subject but because of the fine style and the fascinating narrative of otherwise grim themes。This book is written in the first stage of the Covid pandemia and Paul Offit tells us that we always have a choice - to take the medicine or not， to be involved in the experiment or not。 But we have to take the consequences of our choice。I recommend this book to everyone The latest wonderful book by Paul A。 Offit。 I have read many others and intent to read them all。Not only because I am interested in the subject but because of the fine style and the fascinating narrative of otherwise grim themes。This book is written in the first stage of the Covid pandemia and Paul Offit tells us that we always have a choice - to take the medicine or not， to be involved in the experiment or not。 But we have to take the consequences of our choice。I recommend this book to everyone interested in medicine and contemporary pharmacy。 It is worth。 。。。more
Kimberly Whitehead
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Always enjoyable Will read anything he writes。 Always making valid points and gettin me to think about both sides of the argument
Deb
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Interesting stuff， not terribly well-written， some editing errors。 Trying to imagine it had it been written by Siddharthra Mukherjee， who has real writing chops。
Lauren Lieberman
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Dr。 Offit lays out medical breakthroughs over the ages and shows that no remedy to anything from blood transfusions， to organ transplant， to X-Rays was linear or safe。 There were ups and downs in medical science in order to get where we are today。 He tells these stories with such ease and with wonderful real life examples。 I love how he names each chapter after a person who was pivotal in the discovery of what we know today。 It was not the physicians， but the civilians who often risked or lost t Dr。 Offit lays out medical breakthroughs over the ages and shows that no remedy to anything from blood transfusions， to organ transplant， to X-Rays was linear or safe。 There were ups and downs in medical science in order to get where we are today。 He tells these stories with such ease and with wonderful real life examples。 I love how he names each chapter after a person who was pivotal in the discovery of what we know today。 It was not the physicians， but the civilians who often risked or lost their lives to help us know what we know toady。 This is a must read for everyone to be in the know related to what is happening with COVID。 。。。more
Delson Roche
，
The book deals with what one can call Martyrs of Medical science。 These are stories of those people who were the first to receive an experimental medical procedure- Be it an X-ray for diagnosis， an organ transplant， an antibiotic， gene therapy， or many of the major medical breakthroughs。 Many of these were either brave or desperate to try something new。 Many died a few survived this is their story- very fascinating told。 The book is fast-paced， doesn’t mince words， and is a superb read。 Even if The book deals with what one can call Martyrs of Medical science。 These are stories of those people who were the first to receive an experimental medical procedure- Be it an X-ray for diagnosis， an organ transplant， an antibiotic， gene therapy， or many of the major medical breakthroughs。 Many of these were either brave or desperate to try something new。 Many died a few survived this is their story- very fascinating told。 The book is fast-paced， doesn’t mince words， and is a superb read。 Even if you do not have any exposure to medical science and terms， you can follow the narration。 I procrastinated all my work， including my sleep during a long haul flight to complete reading this fascinating book 。。。more
Anna
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I really enjoy medical history and this book was interesting too。 I had read much of the heart transplant stuff before in another book I just finished but it was still interesting （if all you know about Christaan Barnard is that he was the first to do a successful transplant， there is a lot more to learn！）。 The blood transfusion chapter was particularly interesting to me and the story about Ryan White is well known but still kind of a gut punch。 The idea that doctors can do no harm doesn't gel w I really enjoy medical history and this book was interesting too。 I had read much of the heart transplant stuff before in another book I just finished but it was still interesting （if all you know about Christaan Barnard is that he was the first to do a successful transplant， there is a lot more to learn！）。 The blood transfusion chapter was particularly interesting to me and the story about Ryan White is well known but still kind of a gut punch。 The idea that doctors can do no harm doesn't gel well with medical advances。 The analysis of risk is key to Offit's argument。 I didn't know anything about gene therapy so that was interesting。 It's a strange sort of cherry-picked book - not in a negative sense but more in a sort of incomplete sense but I still enjoyed it a lot。 。。。more
Elena
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A historical look at medical researchWe are now benefitting from advances in medical research， with its successes and failures。 This historical look at vaccines， gene therapies and other medical advances lets us know that some may die for the benefit of mankind。
E Cheong
，
Selective reading 。。。
Sharon
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Dr。 Offit describes various medical procedures and their development over the years。 He discusses heart transplants， blood transfusions， anesthesia， biologicals， antibiotics， vaccines， X-rays， chemotherapy and gene therapy and their history。
Lisa
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Science is definitely the new religion。 You are almost treated as a pariah if you don't have blind faith in 'the science'， and medics are regarded as gods who we should trust absolutely。 I am not sure how this happened。 Reading Paul A Offit's book is a good cure for it， though， if you can stand the harrowing accounts of the misery and deaths caused by medical mistakes， and new medical innovations。 I have to be careful about discussing what he writes about the coronavirus vaccines， but he is shoc Science is definitely the new religion。 You are almost treated as a pariah if you don't have blind faith in 'the science'， and medics are regarded as gods who we should trust absolutely。 I am not sure how this happened。 Reading Paul A Offit's book is a good cure for it， though， if you can stand the harrowing accounts of the misery and deaths caused by medical mistakes， and new medical innovations。 I have to be careful about discussing what he writes about the coronavirus vaccines， but he is shocked by the hubris by which they've been treated， and his discussion is thorough。 As he writes， 'virtually every medical breakthrough has exacted a human price'。 The first vaccines are not often trouble-free， so， even if they appear to be the only answer to Covid-19， the unquestioned glee that greeted them is somewhat puzzling。Paul A。 Offit includes many horrific events in his book， such as the massive contamination of America's blood supply with HIV， the terrible injuries and deaths caused by the first x-rays， and a man-made polio epidemic caused by mistakes made in manufacturing the vaccine。 It's thoroughly researched， but it can be hard to read。 It's certainly worth reading， though。 I can guarantee that you will get a second opinion before any nasty medical procedure after reading this book， and think twice about putting blind trust in 'the science'。I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Carol Haldy
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Second book by this author。 I'm not sure it was the author's intent but it certainly would give pause to the vaccine mandate。 Second book by this author。 I'm not sure it was the author's intent but it certainly would give pause to the vaccine mandate。 。。。more
Baudelairecestpasmoi
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The book is easy to read， though I was hoping for something with a more sophisticated language and style。 There's one thing that didn't make sense， though: the dates of different developments in the chemotherapy chapter。 According to the book， the attack on the ships in Bari was on the December 2， 1943。 Then Lt。 Col。 Alexander submitted a report and the OSRD offered a contract to 2 Yale University pharmacologists to do research on a phenomenon observed in the wake of the attack。 The book then ta The book is easy to read， though I was hoping for something with a more sophisticated language and style。 There's one thing that didn't make sense， though: the dates of different developments in the chemotherapy chapter。 According to the book， the attack on the ships in Bari was on the December 2， 1943。 Then Lt。 Col。 Alexander submitted a report and the OSRD offered a contract to 2 Yale University pharmacologists to do research on a phenomenon observed in the wake of the attack。 The book then talks about the case of JD， who was the first person to receive treatment with the substance the OSRD and Yale University were studying。 However， this occurred on August 27， 1942， a year and a half before the attack in Bari。 So， I think there was some sloppy writing and editing here。 The book mentions the publication of an article on the same phenomenon in 1919， indicating that the report had gone unnoticed。 But， if the dates given for the 1940s are correct， then somebody must have noticed and begun pursuing it， namely the OSRD and Yale University， and the attack on Bari just added another incident in which this phenomenon was observed。 。。。more
CatReader
，
I'm a fan of Dr。 Offit's books in general。 This one is a brief read that underscores how risk and reward go hand in hand in medical innovations from blood transfusions， organ transplantation， X-rays， and vaccination， set in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic。 I'd recommend this group to a layperson audience who's generally unfamiliar with the history of these innovations。 As someone in the field， most of these stories are ones I've heard many times。 I'm a fan of Dr。 Offit's books in general。 This one is a brief read that underscores how risk and reward go hand in hand in medical innovations from blood transfusions， organ transplantation， X-rays， and vaccination， set in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic。 I'd recommend this group to a layperson audience who's generally unfamiliar with the history of these innovations。 As someone in the field， most of these stories are ones I've heard many times。 。。。more
Tammy （Wyse） Schoch
，
Good overview of the:1。 History of medical advancements2。 Political impacts on medical research3。 Unfair judgements made on pioneers of medical technologies， both good and bad 4。 Risk inherent in new medical treatments and also the risk inherent in avoiding new treatments Quite pertinent discussion of risk as it relates to vaccines and treatments for covid19。 The epilogue was the best。 But the rest of the book is necessary to truly appreciate the epilogue。
E。Scott Menter
，
In You Bet Your Life: From Blood Transfusions to Mass Vaccination， the Long and Risky History of Medical Innovation， author Paul A。 Offit offers an entertaining and well-researched perspective on the some of the most important advances in medical history。 The stories are truly fascinating， and hold lessons for understanding medical science's response to the current plague， as well as the paradoxical and self-destructive reaction of so many in the population。The stories lead the reader through th In You Bet Your Life: From Blood Transfusions to Mass Vaccination， the Long and Risky History of Medical Innovation， author Paul A。 Offit offers an entertaining and well-researched perspective on the some of the most important advances in medical history。 The stories are truly fascinating， and hold lessons for understanding medical science's response to the current plague， as well as the paradoxical and self-destructive reaction of so many in the population。The stories lead the reader through the most tragic failures and most stunning achievements of humankind。 But Offit doesn't always quite manage to connect the history and the truths we should extract from it。 The epilogue is entitled "Living with Uncertainty"， and that appears to be the sum total of what we're to take away from the book。 Indeed， I was left with the impression that the final chapter and its seven enumerated conclusions were added precisely because no specific ideas are otherwise articulated。Largely for that reason， You Bet Your Life lacks direction。 It seems rushed， and I can imagine a publisher eager to push out a book with relevance to the greatest event of the time; but a later release， with a bit more perspective on how the vaccine debate played out， would perhaps have enabled Offit to bring the narrative to a more natural conclusion。 （I felt the same way about Michael Lewis' The Premonition: A Pandemic Story。）Nonetheless， the relevant lessons are there to be found， even if the author hasn't polished them up and presented them to his audience。 The narrative itself is engaging: I stayed up late， eagerly turning pages as though I were reading Stephen King or Tom Clancy。 In the end， Offit leaves his reader with hope， a sense that despite the inevitable costs—or， more accurately， becauseof them—there is little we cannot overcome。 。。。more
Alexandra
，
Paul Offit is amazing as always。
BOOKLOVER EB
，
Paul Offit， M。 D。， is the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia， and he teaches vaccinology and pediatrics at the University Pennsylvania。 He is also a proficient and entertaining writer， whose latest work of non-fiction is "You Bet Your Life: From Blood Transfusions to Mass Vaccination， the Long and Risky History of Medical Innovation。" The history of medicine has its share of heroes， villains， and martyrs。 Certain scientists made great discoveries Paul Offit， M。 D。， is the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia， and he teaches vaccinology and pediatrics at the University Pennsylvania。 He is also a proficient and entertaining writer， whose latest work of non-fiction is "You Bet Your Life: From Blood Transfusions to Mass Vaccination， the Long and Risky History of Medical Innovation。" The history of medicine has its share of heroes， villains， and martyrs。 Certain scientists made great discoveries through hard work and/or happenstance。 Others took a chance on unproven procedures that， much to their chagrin， injured or killed their patients。 Using lucid and generally jargon-free language， Offit explores such topics as heart transplants， blood transfusions， anesthesia， antibiotics， vaccines， chemotherapy， and gene therapy。 Amazingly， he has distilled reams of material into a succinct， entertaining， timely， and informative work of non-fiction。 One of the points that Dr。 Offit makes is that， although we are happy to reap the benefits of cutting-edge techniques and pharmaceuticals， modern medicine's advances did not come cheap。 Before certain practitioners knew what they were doing， they experimented on men， women， and children， who sometimes paid with their lives。One particularly compelling chapter deals with radiology's infancy。 In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century， X-ray technicians and their patients often became deathly ill and suffered side-effects that left them mutilated and in horrible pain。 It was only later that safety protocols—such as more reliable and sophisticated machines， the use of lead aprons， and strict rules to avoid overexposure—were put into place。 Moreover， during the first chemotherapy trials， clinicians injected cancer patients with toxic drugs that， rather than curing them， made them even sicker。 "You Bet Your Life" is a well-organized， compelling， and intriguing chronicle of how medicine's catastrophes may， ironically， pave the way for its eventual successes。 The bottom line？ "Science lurches forward in fits and starts， but it inevitably moves forward。" That being said， we must never forget that "humility， not hubris， should rule the day。" 。。。more
Stefan Mitev
，
Задължителна книга за всеки лекар。Концепцията за риск в медицината е трудна за разбиране。 Твърде много лекари， особено в условията на пандемия， не осъзнават важността на отношението полза-риск。 Д-р Пол Офит разглежда историята на 9 революционни медицински постижения （сърдечна трансплантация， антибиотици， ваксини， химиотерапия， генна терапия и др。）， които първоначално са били свързани с неподозирани опасности。 Рискът е навсякъде около нас， независимо дали го осъзнаваме。 Да започнем ли лечение или Задължителна книга за всеки лекар。Концепцията за риск в медицината е трудна за разбиране。 Твърде много лекари， особено в условията на пандемия， не осъзнават важността на отношението полза-риск。 Д-р Пол Офит разглежда историята на 9 революционни медицински постижения （сърдечна трансплантация， антибиотици， ваксини， химиотерапия， генна терапия и др。）， които първоначално са били свързани с неподозирани опасности。 Рискът е навсякъде около нас， независимо дали го осъзнаваме。 Да започнем ли лечение или да изчакаме， особено в непозната ситуация？ Отговорът често е труден， затова трябва да сме подготвени за възможните последици。Прочетете книгата， за да практикувате медицина， базирана на доказателства， а не на страх и субективни усещания。 。。。more
Betty
，
Thoroughly enjoyable！ This book combines medical innovations with history。 I was at a house party in December 1967。 We girls had a debate about the ethics of heart transplants because Barnard had just done the first human to human heart transplant in South Africa。 It was great to read the background of this in the first chapter of You Bet Your Life。 The title leads to questions: would you bet your life？ Would you do the first blood transfusion？ Accept a vaccine for diphtheria or polio？ X-rays？ W Thoroughly enjoyable！ This book combines medical innovations with history。 I was at a house party in December 1967。 We girls had a debate about the ethics of heart transplants because Barnard had just done the first human to human heart transplant in South Africa。 It was great to read the background of this in the first chapter of You Bet Your Life。 The title leads to questions: would you bet your life？ Would you do the first blood transfusion？ Accept a vaccine for diphtheria or polio？ X-rays？ Would you add certain poisons to chemotherapy？Highly recommended。 Thanks to Netgalley and Perseus Bools！ 。。。more
Dan Curiosity Hour
，
What a fascinating read and I was surprised how much of a page-turner this is！ Given the theme of the podcast I co-host， I was really moved and inspired by the curiosity of the many people profiled in this book。 Such curiosity led to major discoveries that improved health and dramatically reduced death and suffering。 But such advances are challenging and oftentimes ultimate successes start with failures。 Persistence is as important as the curiosity of those who embark upon these medical advances What a fascinating read and I was surprised how much of a page-turner this is！ Given the theme of the podcast I co-host， I was really moved and inspired by the curiosity of the many people profiled in this book。 Such curiosity led to major discoveries that improved health and dramatically reduced death and suffering。 But such advances are challenging and oftentimes ultimate successes start with failures。 Persistence is as important as the curiosity of those who embark upon these medical advances。 Note: If you haven't been vaccinated yet against COVID-19 （Sars-cov-2）， please do so if you have access to the vaccine in whatever community you live in。 It's such an important step to protect yourself， your family， neighbors， colleagues， and the community where you live。 I'm happily vaccinated and encourage others to get vaccinated， too！Note: I voluntarily requested， read， and reviewed this book。 Thank you to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for sending me a temporary digital advance reading copy/advance review （ARC） galley of this book in exchange for an honest review。 As always， my opinions are my own and do not represent my co-host or the podcast。 I request， read， and review many books prior to publication to explore possible future guests for the podcast。 I wish we could interview the author of every one of these books because I'm so impressed by the creativity， thoughtfulness， and wisdom shared through the temporary books I get through NetGalley。 I find the idea of simplifying any book into 1-5 stars to be quite silly and reductionist， so I don't participate in that game and instead， just give five stars to each book。 。。。more
Daniel
，
Written at the beginning of the Covid pandemic， You Bet Your Life examines the history of medical breakthroughs， including the risks involved and the process of weighing those risks against very real and very necessary health benefits。 Written by someone on the forefront of fighting the pandemic including holding committee positions for both accelerating the development of a vaccine and getting that medicine approved by the FDA。 Not only is the author an expert on the Coronavirus and the vaccine Written at the beginning of the Covid pandemic， You Bet Your Life examines the history of medical breakthroughs， including the risks involved and the process of weighing those risks against very real and very necessary health benefits。 Written by someone on the forefront of fighting the pandemic including holding committee positions for both accelerating the development of a vaccine and getting that medicine approved by the FDA。 Not only is the author an expert on the Coronavirus and the vaccines that have been developed for it， Dr。 Offit has a history of vaccine development and is one of the nation’s experts on immunology and viruses。 While this book is， by necessity， constructed with the Covid-19 pandemic in the forefront of both the author’s and reader’s minds， it is about so much more than that。 By taking a trip through centuries of medical history， You Bet Your Life， examines the risk-reward calculations which have been made by patients and medical professionals every time new medical treatments and technologies have been made available， such as x-rays and chemotherapy。 。。。more
Siana T
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With this book， Paul Offit takes us on a journey into medical history， showing that "virtually every medical breakthrough has exacted a human price。" The author uses the example of nine of modern medicine's greatest advances to draw lessons on "when and wether to accept new technologies"， that is， tips on medical decision making， which is particularly relevant during the pandemic。He shares these examples in a very enjoyable way， going further than a mere stating of facts， and presenting it in wh With this book， Paul Offit takes us on a journey into medical history， showing that "virtually every medical breakthrough has exacted a human price。" The author uses the example of nine of modern medicine's greatest advances to draw lessons on "when and wether to accept new technologies"， that is， tips on medical decision making， which is particularly relevant during the pandemic。He shares these examples in a very enjoyable way， going further than a mere stating of facts， and presenting it in what felt to me like a set of short stories。 It can get a little technical though， so I would recommend having a basic knowledge of science and medicine， or at least being okay with looking up a few things， although the author does a great job of simplifying。Overall， it was an interesting and instructive read。 I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in medicine or enjoys a good non fiction book， as well as those who might be pondering over an important medical decision。Thanks to Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Steve
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