December 29, 2009

Home health books offer soup-to-nuts explanations of medical conditions

By Kelley Luckstein

Imagine treating a pregnant woman's morning sickness with an injection of cocaine. Or how about prescribing cannabis for epilepsy? Or tobacco smoking for asthma?

 

These are but a few of the weird and wacky recommendations found in the first Merck Manual for physicians, a 192-page, pocket-sized reference book of the "chemicals and drugs usual in modern medical practice," published in 1899.

 

 My, how medicine has changed…

 

The Merck manual is just one of a slew of medical reference books aimed at consumers. They include the American Medical Association Family Medical Guide, the Mayo Clinic Family Health Book and the Canadian Medical Association Complete Home Medical Guide.

 

Canadian Press, by Sheryl Ubelacker, 12/28/09

 

Also in Globe and Mail

Tags: medical books, Uncategorized

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