A non-technical, jargon-free presentation of the history of medicine from palaeopathology to recent theories and practices of modern medicine. It gives a wide-ranging overview of Western medicine and an introduction to the rich and varied medical traditions of the Near and Far East.;This text stresses the major themes in the history of medicine - placing the modern experience within the framework of historical issues - and it presents medical history as an important part of intellectual and social history, supplying students with an examination of the field that encourages them to question modern medical assumptions. Areas that are less familiar to students are highlighted, and case histories represent broader issues and trends.