Asia Books

Land of the midnight sun.

Reverries.. WBYEATS sailing to byzantium innisfree

The technical mind, AgFd ACS, FSEEE

Medical doctors... Captian Doctor a natural history of the dead

Woodger

Fleming?

debakey, barnard, cooley, howard, christian, denton

medical doctors

Enjoy reading literature written by medical doctors.

MD magazine had short stories also

beware the pogonip





Medical doctors are deft, adept intellectual academic readers thus, also literati.

Nielson's 4th, The Inextinguishable rowing scull to Jupiter and
Beyond.

513-242-2393

This book contains the memoirs Dr. Victor Heiser, international public health administrator for 30 years starting at the turn of the Twentieth Century. The book begins with a riveting account of how Heiser survived the Johnstown Flood by nimbly balancing on the walls of his barn as it swirled in the maelstrom after seeing his entire family swept under the waters in their home. Alone in the world following this disaster, Heiser decided to study medicine, but discovered upon graduation that he much preferred to prevent disease than cure it. He felt that he could do more for more people by fighting public health campaigns than by dealing with individual sick patients. He began his career as a military health inspector overseeing immigration halls at large ports, including Ellis Island. He later moved on to Europe, where he set up health inspection services so that would-be immigrants to the United States could be screened before setting sail from Europe. Following the Spanish American War, he was assigned as chief health officer of the new American colony in the Philippines. After serving almost ten years in the Philippines, he joined the international public health team of the Rockefeller Foundation, where he served as an itinerant medical expert and public health adviser for nearly twenty years.

During his tenure in the Philippines, Heiser worked hard to get cholera, typhoid, plague, smallpox, and leprosy under control. Politically, he was very much a man of his times, and his prose displays the typical racist attitudes of a senior colonial official. He could become very aggravated by what he considered the whimsical behavior of the Filipinos, and he often resorted to draconian measures to contain disease outbreaks. Nevertheless, his intentions were laudable if his methods were sometimes questionable.

Heiser's accounts of his time with the Rockefeller Foundation are fascinating. He explains how the Rockefeller Foundation selected hookworm elimination campaigns as their primary focus: Rockefeller wanted the team to work with a pathogen that was not only common, caused serious harm to society, but also could be seen with the naked eye. He felt that if people could actually see what was making them sick, even if they were illiterate, they would understand the cause and effect relationship between the pathogen and their illness, and would be willing to do their part in supporting the campaign. The hope was that the administration set up in a community for the hookworm elimination campaign would prove itself so useful that the community would want it to continue and expand its scope, leading to the establishment of a full public health service. Heiser relates how well this idea succeeded, not only in the American South, but throughout the world, from Thailand to Abyssinia.

Indeed, aside from the medical details, Heiser's descriptions of his travels are some of the most interesting parts of the book. He tells us of conditions on ships and trains, in cities and country sides around the world. In one of the more fascinating accounts of his travels, he describes the lush green highland paradise of Abyssinia, how in the 1930s he could see terraced orchards of apples and pears from his hotel room in Addis Ababa, and how beautiful the forests and cool clear streams were there. From modern accounts of the Ethiopian environment, it seems those fruit trees and forests are long gone, casualties of civil war, mismanagement, and over-population (perhaps a result of Heiser's work?). Heiser also notes how the Abyssinians, including their leader Haile Selassie considered themselves a separate race from the Black Africans, who they displayed racists attitudes towards, and how they were incensed when the US sent them Black ambassadors. If Heiser's contemporary account of Abyssian society is indeed accurate, it puts Rastafarians' idolization of Selassie in a new light, indeed.

This book has been one of my favorites for many years. I read it first in paperback, and after that fell apart I managed to find a used hardback copy. The book is the autobiography of Victor Heiser, M.D. The book starts with a bang with Heiser as a teenager surviving the Johnstown flood. (His parents were killed.) The rest of the book is mostly anecdotes taken from his medical career. Dr. Heiser is perhaps the ultimate example of the international public health doctor in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He spent much of his career as the U.S.'s Director of Health in the Philippines. Much of the book is organized by disease: he discusses smallpox, plague, cholera, leprosy, hookworm, etc. Heiser's main point is that health comes mostly from vaccination, clean water, good food, sanitation, and isolation of people sick with contagious diseases, not from expensive medical care.
Nearly every page of the book has a great story; you get the impression that Heiser must have been a fantastic dinner guest. Heiser's stories of vaccinating the uncivilized tribesmen of the Philippines are medical adventure at its best.
Towards the end of his career Heiser became a representative of the Rockefeller Foundation and spent his time traveling the world selling public health to the masses. The book bogs down a bit here; sometimes you wish Heiser would stop bragging about the number of times he's visited each country and tell more stories.
For the modern reader, Heiser's book is still surprisingly relevant, though maybe not in ways he intended. Heiser and other public health doctors are perhaps the persons most responsible for today's overpopulation of the earth. The fact is that if you save a life, you must prevent a birth somewhere else, or risk overrunning your resources. Heiser had no concept of limits. In my opinion, today's doctors have for the most part still never understood this, with the result that they often cause more harm than good.
Another important point for modern readers is the concept of diminishing returns for medical care. Heiser's book shows this clearly. Heiser, who was starting with Philippine peasants that had never seen a doctor, could save thousands of lives with a few dollars' worth of vaccines. Today we may spend a million dollars on a single transplant patient or premature baby. Are we really getting our moneys' worth? I don't think so.
Overall, a very good book if you can find it.

Professor Hsu knows well--and understands well--the cultural characteristics of contemporary Americans and Chinese. This is not a history text, but rather an in-depth look at the differences between peoples which is the result of history. I would consider it "must" reading for both societies. The 1981 publication date does not make it outdated. In fact, at the present, the insights it offers are more pertinent than ever. Professor Hsu writes intelligently, humorously, and very seriously about a "meeting of minds." He doesn't pull punches, and at the same time he is fair. Chinese and Americans have a lot to learn about--and from--each other. Begin here--and keep this unique "teacher's manual" on hand.

Professor Hsu knows well--and understands well--the cultural characteristics of contemporary Americans and Chinese. This is not a history text, but rather an in-depth look at the differences between peoples which are the result of history. I would consider it "must" reading for both societies. The 1981 publication date does not make it outdated. Professor Hsu writes intelligently, humorously,and very seriously about a "meeting of minds." He doesn't pull punches, and at the same time he is fair. Chinese and Americans have a lot to learn about each other. Begin here--and keep it on hand.

I came across Dr. Hsu's work during my doctoral research and found his observations of the similarities and differences between American and Chinese thinking insightful--at times profoundly so. Here is an academic who writes with clarity and common sense, yet bases his conclusions on years of firsthand experience and ongoing research. Although its last reprint was nearly a quarter century ago, most of what he describes and explains remains pertinent today. Those conducting cross-cultural studies, or otherwise engaged in international exchanges between these two nations, would do well to read and heed this book. Nothing since approaches this even more timely topic with the same sense of philosophical distance and objectivity.

And Then There Was One... is a historical memoir covering the era from 1910 t o 1945. Author Michael Stone was born in Latvia in 1910, grew up in Moscow, relocated to Berlin with his family to escape the Communist Revolution, and emigrated to the United States when the Nazis emerged to take control. And Then There Was One... is a riveting personal saga that spans nations, and offers a very personal view of cataclysmic events that reshaped human history and the world. Enhanced with an appendix, bibliography, and index, And Then There Was One... is highly recommended reading.

(...)Twentieth century lives are often studies in chaos, disruption, and just one damned thing after another. For Michael Stone, born in 1910, it's a century of the murder of Jews and of coming to America and having the freedom to build a successful life. But a successful and culture life was Stone's in Latvia, born into a family of prosperous entrepreneurs. Memories, experiences, fascinating bits of information—The Cotton Club, speeches in Columbus Circle, in the Latvian army, upbringing, siblings and parents, and meeting European men and women who, through their experiences, would define the times. But also there is the malady of the century: the Nazi murder of Jews. A horrifying depiction of the roundup of the Jews of Riga: "Those actions were representative of a number of carefully planned acts of extermination of Jews, not only in various cities in Latvia, but also in other parts of Nazi-occupied regions in Europe." And the terrible personal experiences of Stone. "My initial reaction to being transferred from the hands of the Gestapo to the regular, green-uniformed police calmed me a bit." In an important sense, this is a modern American life: coming from war-torn Europe, a man prospers but remembers, for future generations, the terrible things done in Europe. And it is a history of all of Europe as that history affected poor, helpless people. Stone remembers in a thoughtful, scrupulously detailed way: And Then There Was One is a clearheaded and instructive memoir, related with passion, and with enormous sorrow(...)

Unlike traditional history books, which are written many years after events have actually occurred, this unusual book tells of the cataclysmic world events of the the first half of the last century from the perspective of one who was there. The reader will get a graphic description of the different cultures, customs and events as they then existed.

There are not many people today who can say that they were acctually present in Moscow when the Bolshevic revolution was unfolding. Michael Stone was there. In this meticulously researched volume, Mr. Stone vividly describes how he survived the bloody two-year civil war when his mother was brutally killed. He goes on to describe his family's flight from Russia to the Weimar Republic. He provides a first-hand account of the World War II from the German perspective. Mr. Stone writes with passion about his experience of being arrested by the Gestapo on charges of high treason, which carried a mandatory sentence of decapitation (He was ultimately pardoned by Hermann Goering, personally!) We are fortunate that Mr. Stone, who was thrust into the middle of the century's greatest historic events, survived to preserve the truth from his unique perspective.

This is a must read for all history buffs.

This is an excellent translation. The book contains a number of appendices which are superb analyses of different issues dealing with Alexander's history.
As a professional historian I can recommend the book without hesitation.

MJ Olbrycht

This book is one of two volumes written by Arrian on Alexander the Great. So many books have been written about this fascinating and charigmatic young man.Although most of the documents from Alexander's lifetime have vanished,this one is the closest that we can get to him.

In my own opinion I think that the documents that vanished may have been in the Alexandria library,or possibly were the body or remains of Alexander are.

What I liked the most in this book is the fact that the name of the cities and places that Alexander conquered are also named with today's actual names,making it easy for us lovers of history to relate to today's geography.

The Theban battle is very well written with so many details, not only the amount of horses,companions,hypastis and so on but the way that Alexander he himself planned.How Alexander took care of the innocent people,and how he cared for them,example the battle of Agis. What he did to the citizens of Soli, giving their land and money back.Details of Darius' mother,wife and children.
For instance I did not know that Dairus married his own sister.
there is so much in this book that it is really worth having if you are a true historian buff of Alexander's time.

The details of the army that conquered which tribe and city.How many horses, carriages, elephants, companions were used for each battle.

The treason fo Philotas and the killing of Parmenio,are also detailed here.The revolt of Agis,India and the Persian Empire, plus detailes of Alexander's army.

I enjoyed reading it very very much.I hope that you will do the same.

Arrian's Books, in two volumes, are perhaps the most informative and accurate existing account of the expeditions of Alexander the Great. The accounts are historical and also give insight into the personality of Alexander. Contrary to most histories, the texts are an easy read, with descriptions of places, people, and events giving the reader a good sense of the adventures encountered by Alexander and his men. The tale is told directly. Alexander's sexuality, the love of his troops for their leader, and all the other human qualities intermingled in a real life situation are presented without bias.
The text is in greek and english, in flanking pages. The footnotes are helpful, providing clarity to definitions of words in their historical context. The second volume contains various Appendixes providing added information on Military Questions, India, Mearchus' Voyage (Alexander's Sea Captain), etc.
For one wising to learn of Alexander, this is the best source available.

Henry Glassie has written one of the great books of the 21st Century. His descriptions of the history of Bangladesh provide exactly the context needed to understand the folklife and art that he chooses to present from this nation. Glassie balances his own thought-provoking and insightful interpretations with articulate and intriguing texts, edited together from hundreds of hours of interview material. In this manner, Glassie guides the reader to a great understanding of the incredible artistry of the people of Bangladesh. Reading this book forces one to reflect on a range of important issues -- the central one being a compassionate concern with what it means to be wealthy or poor in Bangladesh, and in America.

"Art" must be taken very broadly, not to misjudge this book by its title. Glassie is such an honest, humble writer, one would forgive him for staying with the high arts, but he brings us into the back yards of potters and other craftspeople who labor in mud and obscurity. What I appreciate the most is his exquisite sense of the moment. Glassie never generalizes or universalizes; he shows us how lives and art change (not constantly, but imperceptibly, and also in sudden surges), and at the end we know more about all people by knowing more about these few.

The author has captured the essence of East Bengal in this marvelous book about art in Bangladesh. While the primary medium is pottery, the book also touches on rickshaw art, engraving, boat building, straw mat production and others. More than a description of art and the artists, it delves into the philosophy of Bengal and reaches depths of religious understanding (especially among the Hindu community); that many of us who lived in Bangladesh did not encounter. If you love Bangladesh, this book is must reading.

I got this book a few years ago after trying some beef and pork on skewers from a local Korean place. At the time I knew very little about Asian food preparation, and the book helped quite a bit:

The book begins with a glossary of basic terms and ingredients used in Asian kitchens, and also a rundown of grilling techniques, then proceeds to a series of ready meals (main grilled dish offered with one or two side dishes that are a traditional complement to the meal).

The sauces and marinades are easy to prepare and the flavors are bold and very fresh. The book utilized fresh vegetables and fruit in side dishes and salads that are amazing with the marinated and grilled meats and make a gorgeous presentation.

Furthermore, as I have discovered in the years of using the book, the recipes are also flexible and open to improvisation-resulting in possibly less authentic, but still wonderful and fun party food that can be prepared on a small tabletop hibachi grill right in front of your guests (you'll have to do prep work and make side dishes in advance, but grilling the meat and fish in front of guests has been a great way to bring a party together in my experience).

Overall, I found no fault with this book at all even from a beginner's (at the time) point of view-but the recipes are interesting enough for the more experienced chefs as well.

I also recommend "A Flash in the Pan: 100 Fast and Furious Recipes for Wok and Stir-Fry" by Liz Trigg and Shirley Gill for wonderful wok and stir-fry recipes for those beginner cooks who want to learn more about Asian food than just grilling.

If you are bored with steak, hamburger and chicken on the charcoal grill, here are recipes for Bulgogi (Korean Fire Beef), Salmon in Miso Glaze, and many skewered chicken and shrimp dishes that are easy to make, but certainly a different take on grilling. There are a lot of marinades that could be adapted to other items--you can miso-glaze chicken breast, or make flank steak in a number of flavorings. Good little book if you are bored with grilling or want fancy skewered recipes for a party.

This little book transports Asian flavors and textures simply to the Western reader without compromising flavor and integrity. I've tried three recipes from this book and they are very, very good. I plan to try several others but first have to replace the book. I took it to work and ended up giving it away. This book is a MUST HAVE for anyone who loves grilling and Asian flavors.

Accurate description of the item and swift notice and delivery

Professor Haley has edited an excellent compilation of chapters on Asian business -- I thought the chapters on China, its business environments, problems and opportunities, and industrial restructuring were particularly useful. A valuable addition to the genre.

Very good review of the major Asian economies and business concerns in these regions. Especially useful as businesses enter China after its WTO entry and ponder new relationships with post-crisis SE Asia.

I have used over 20 recipes from Greeley's book and have not been disappointed in any one of them. I have given two dinner parties (each with about 12 people) and used only recipes from this book.Results were outstanding. Every guest asked for recipes, or decided to buy their own copy of the book. My husband's particular favourite is the Yellow chicken curry.

What I really liked about this book is all the information. The author covers a lot of Asian countries, and she writes about the differences in styles and common ingredients between them. She also discusses the ingredients - what they are, what the flavors are, and including a discussion of the many types of rice. The recipes are nicely organized, and easy to follow. I've used a few of the recipes, and one is now a favorite.

We love soups. They reheat well after a long day at the office and they are soothing to the throat, very filling but lighter fare. It suits us for an evening meal when we really don't want something heavy but do want something hot. Since we've traveled extensively in Asia and love the cuisine, this book was one we just had to try. I am glad to report that "Asian Soups, Stews and Curries" is a wonderful book for the Asian cuisine lover.

The first recipe we tried was Kalbi Tang, Korean Short Rib Soup. This is a famous Korean dish, almost as famous as Bulgogi and Kimchee. The instructions were interesting; in order to achieve the beautiful clear broth in which the meat and onions float, you must soak the ribs overnight, or boil them and discard that water to remove the scum (which is the albumin and meat bits that coagulate when you boil meat.) I followed this direction, and the other stipulation to remove ALL visible fat from the ribs. After then making the stock and refrigerating the soup overnight to remove the rest of the fat, I made the ginger, sesame and soy sauce-based seasoning that flavors the soup. Wow! What a taste--rich, yet with a clear, flavorful broth. This was an enormous hit at our house.

After watching my husband practically stick his whole head into the Korean soup pot, I decided there must be more good stuff in here. The next one we want to try is Cambodian Fish Soup with Pineapple and Tomatoes--pineapple is surprisingly good in curry type clear soups.

Just about everything is in here from Japanese Chanko-nabe (Sumo Wrestler's fatten-up stew) to Mulligatawny. There are quite a few lentil based curries (nice, we love lentils), noodle soups, meat soups, fish, vegetable and rice soups and stews. This is a fascinating book and one with some very nice and unusual recipes, good for light evening one-pot meals or fancy entertaining or pot-luck. This is fast becoming one of my favorite cookbooks.

For those of us in the peace movement, this highly educational and important account of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Vietnam should be required reading as it vividly exposes the brutal methods the U.S. ruling-class will employ to crush progressive movements for national liberation and economic democracy in the global south. As always, Noam Chomsky provides illuminating political analysis of U.S. foreign policy and global capitalism. Also, because this book incorporates reflections from his own extensive travels throughout the region, it has the added bonus of being extremely readable and fast-paced. Read this book not only to understand our shameful past, but to better understand our present situation in Iraq and elsewhere.

I received this book by being a friend of AK Press (something everyone who is interested in these types of books should look into). Even though Chomsky, who is incredibly accessible this time around, is writing about what occured in Vietnam, the parallels to today's Iraq situation are amazing.

As always, Chomsky's work makes you think and reasses what you think you know. War time strategies are dissected, and national policy is put under a microscope. Indochina, which Chomsky points out is merely an extension of what America has been doing since its formation, was a hotbed of experimental warfare, both in technique and technology. Compare that to Iraq today, and you get the same picture.

If you care about the world situation, you need to read this book. And if you enjoy it, think about becoming a friend of AK Press.

If you are familiar with the ideas of Noam Chomsky, this book will come as no surprise to you. He puts forth essentially the same arguments that he did in his earlier offering, _American Power and the New Mandarins_. Chomsky writes about the war in Asia by talking about U.S. action in various southeast Asian countries and the resistence that springs up against it. The most interesting essays are the ones about Laos and North Vietnam because these writings have emerged from Chomsky's own trip to the region. He is essentially reporting on what he saw during his time on the ground. These chapters are the most convincing in the book because of this aspect, and they are the element that makes this book worth buying. I'm not sure under what circumstances Chomsky was able to travel to these war zones, but his record of the trip is filled with empathy and heartbreak. He is a polemicist at the top of his game, giving what appears to be a fairly honest account of what he saw. I found the book to be enlightening and powerful. Another good offering from one of the harshest critics of U.S. foreign policy.

Excellent book for both those who are Bali newbies and those who already know about it, although it might be a little too detailed for some novices. Informative, with fantastic photos and drawings.

This excellent book provides an extensive, reader-friendly overview of Balinese dance, music, drama and culture. It's the book we've all been waiting for. Written in an informal and high accessible style with wonderful pictures and illustrations it will no doubt be treasured by academics, Baliopihiles or anyone wanting to visit Bali and more deeply experience it's powerful culture. Rucina and Dibia (I know them both) are extraordinary and passionate lovers of all things Bali and have written and taught extensively for decades. If anyone was to write this book, they were the obvious choice.

There are dozens of books on this subject - most far too academic and inaccessible - including some of the classics. They got the information right, found the right expressive tone, and the layout is stunning.

A wonderful experience throughout!

Michael Wiese, filmmaker, publisher and Baliophile

Extensively illustrated with over 200 full-color photographs, Balinese Dance, Drama and Music: A Guide to the Performing Arts of Bali takes the reader on a captivating tour of the history, style, and function of Balinese gamelan music, dance, drama, and puppetry. Suitable for all ages, Balinese Dance, Drama and Music covers how performing arts are learned in Bali, the principal Balinese values that artistic media passes on, and discussion of individual forms of performing arts, such as Gameland Gong Kebyar, Lgong Keraton, Baris, Wayang Kulit, and the relatively recent phenomenon of women's and children's performing groups. A bibliography and discography round out this superbly captivating survey, written by expert dancers and choreographers.