“Doctors are men who prescribe medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, in human beings of whom they know nothing.” Voltaire
14 May 2012, by Richard Martin
This quote from Voltaire is one of many from various authors in the book The Emperor of All Maladies, on the history of cancer and its treatment. In reading this book one can see Voltaire’s point, especially in his time!
Written by oncologist Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, this book chronicles the history of cancer and its treatment from ancient times to today. This is not a dry, technical chronology of the disease; it was written to inform the layperson but with sufficient detail in the evolution of diagnosis and treatment to hold the attention of professionals in the field. It was described by one reviewer as “a literary thriller with cancer as the protagonist.” It is worth reading for anyone who is personally touched by this disease spectrum or simply desires to better understand it for personal or professional reasons. Giants in research, treatment and even politics are covered, and while the book pivots around one of the mid-20th century leaders in American oncology, Dr. Sidney Farber, it draws heavily on and gives credit to the contributions of physicians and researchers from France, Germany, the UK and other parts of the world over the past 300 years.
This book will introduce you to people of extreme courage, intellect and determination, from patients and caregivers to medical professionals and researchers. You will learn about the darker days of diagnosis and treatment to which Voltaire referred. At the same time, you will learn a great deal about the disease, the changing philosophy of treatment and how we have arrived where we are today in cancer treatment.
The book clarifies the complexity of disease staging and treatment through an understanding of how diagnosis and treatment has progressed over the years. You will also learn about how drug dosing, multiple drug regimens and treatment sequencing have come about and the fascinating stories of the people who have brought it to pass. You will “meet” the researchers and patients who literally gave their lives developing the therapies or enduring them. And you will learn that progress in disease treatment has often come first through experiments in the clinic, only later supported by controlled clinical trials; in many ways that continues today.
Although originally published, November, 2010 and receiving a Pulitzer Prize in 2011 in the Non-Fiction General category, I have found that many with an interest in cancer have not yet heard of this book or taken the time to read it. Maybe this summer you can find the time. I highly recommend you do so and would love to hear your thoughts afterward.
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cancer treatment, Voltaire, Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, history of cancer, Cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies, Dr. Sidney Farber
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