Dictionary of Medical Quotations: With Biographies of Authors

Abstract

This latest addition to the field of medical quotations is a nicely illustrated monograph; its unique contributions are the inclusion of author biographies, as well as illustrations of some of the authors. It also contains a substantial bibliography. According to the author's preface, the Dictionary is aimed at “medical practitioners and family physicians… not… at medical historians” (ix) and is meant to acquaint contemporary physicians with “the most brilliant and talented minds of medical men” (ix). It is arranged in alphabetical order by broad subject headings (such as “Disease,” “Medical Life,” or “Physician”), much in the way of other medical quotation dictionaries. Generally speaking, any quote within a broad subject section includes that particular word within the quote. However, quotes are not repeated within the dictionary. For example, Logan Clendening's quote: “Surgery does the ideal thing – it separates the patient from his disease. It puts the patient back to bed and the disease in a bottle” (53), is listed ONLY under the category “Disease in a Bottle” (where it is the only quotation listed), NOT under the subject “Surgery.” In other quotation dictionaries, this has not been a problem; just flip to the keyword index, and look up the word you remember. However, here it is a major issue, as the Dictionary does not contain an index, making it difficult to locate a quotation based on partially remembered phrases (which in this reviewer's experience is the primary reason for the use of a quotation dictionary).