A harsh look at the medical profession

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In a unique anthology of medical bungles, Youngson and Schott, a physician-and-journalist team, present hundreds of cases that arouse concern over the good intention of clinical practitioners and researchers. An important theme emerges from recounting several classic tales such as Galen's humoral theory and bloodletting, Hahnemann's beliefs on homoeopathy, and Priessnitz's use of water to cure illnesses. Each of these waves of medical therapy were pushed to a ridiculous extreme, even though initial effects might have been considered encouraging.