Medicine Books

Every CD in this set is excellent, and since they were taped on site at sessions in Cape Breton you feel like Pema is right there in the room with you. Pema's words along with her wonderfully soothing voice will truly heal the aches and pains of living. It's not just the simplicity but the honesty that makes owning everything Pema worthwhile. If I had known about her years ago, I would have lived differently, if not more easily. Now, because of Pema, there are no regrets, just today. This set is very good therapy.

I put Pema in my walkman (yes, I'm old) and listen to her on my long walks with the dog. I can listen to them over and over and enjoy them. She's easy to listen to and imparts information without preaching.

these are wonderful recordings of pema chodron presenting teachings and wisdom about meditation, open heart, and tonglen. she is clear, wise and funny. i've played these over and over and they have helped me so much in my own practice. highly recommended.

This is a very nice collection of three of Pema Chodron's CD's. She is an excellent teacher--compassionate, thoughtful, and very user-friendly. Listening to these CD's has helped open my heart and mind during stressful moments in life when taking a moment to pause and stay with an uncomfortable emotion is the more difficult but, beneficial mode of operation.

Have you seen that ad on TV - "Your mind controls you, but do you control your mind?" Pema Chocdron shows you how to stop the incessant noise and criticism of your mind by finding a space where ideas are allowed, but teh spontaneous reaction to those ideas is not. By becoming compassionate towards others, you become more compassionate towards yourself, and learn to laugh at yourself and feel less alone by realizing "others feel like this too".

Buy this - it helps.

This is a very informative, easily read book. I would recommend it those people interested or involved in mediumship

John Holland is a psychic medium who has authored several books, CDs, lectured, taught, and appeared on several TV shows, including The History Channel, A & E, and Unsolved Mysteries. Put simply, John is able to talk to those who have passed on and to receive and relay messages from them. I absolutely love the books and CDs by John. Although John does tend to repeat material, it's all good stuff and each book or CD expands on the material that has been used in another book or CD. His material is thorough, easy to understand, and right on target. It is also chocked full of useful tips. I have found it all tremendously useful in my own spiritual development. And, if you are listening to a CD of John's, especially one with meditations, you will likely find his voice very soft and very conducive to achieving a relaxed state of consciousness. Put simply, I find it really easy to get into a meditative state with John's CDs and to do it quickly.

"Power of the Soul" is a book about discovering the power deep within you, within your soul and learning how to direct that power in a positive manner. Yes, the book is full of information, meditations, tips, and tools. This is powerful self-discovery, spiritual path stuff. It is NOT a magic book. If you are interested in achieving a more balanced and spiritual life, consider this book. A spiritual pat takes work and it is a continual journey forward.

The 8 chapters of this book are:
1) Understanding the Soul--about the soul, as consciousness, the true essence of a person. This chapter speaks of going inward to discover your true self, dredging up what you have hidden inside, and facing it. It discusses a Buddhist technique "The Mindfulness of Breathing" and the importance of breathing correctly to achieve a state of stillness. John then teaches you exercises to achieve proper breathing. He also talks about achieving your soul's purpose, also discovering the gifts of your soul and using them in your everyday life.
2) Acknowledging the Source--the Source is defined as God, the Universe, or a Higher Consciousness, whatever your preference. He explains the concepts of synchronicities (aka. co-incidences), dream messages, gratitude, believing in the impossible, thoughts manifesting into reality, visualizations, and affirmations.
3) The Unfoldment of Your Soul Senses--learning the language of the soul--how to achieve mindful stillness, meditation, the clairs (what they are and why they are important and possible indicators of each). (Clairsentience, Clairaudience, Clairvoyance) and the Chakras (internal energy vortexes).
4) The Power of Love--the importance of love and kindness from a soul perspective.
5) The Healer Within--healing within yourself, forgiveness, including forgiving yourself.
6) Breaking Free: Turning the Past into a Bridge for the Future--negative thoughts, fear, worry--what they do to us--realizing these syndromes and breaking free of them
7) Journey of the Soul--reincarnation, wounds of the soul, wake-up calls, respecting another individual's path
8) Soul Living--stepping into your personal soul power

John has also included examples and discoveries of people he has met, known, and taught as well as his own experiences. He includes training exercises and meditations. If you want to develop your psychic abilities, John's book can help you and he also has some CD products to teach you more on psychic awareness (check my other reviews). But if you just want to learn more about the beauty within you and develop your spirituality, John can help you with that too. There is good info here. How far you take it, how much you put into developing yourself spiritually, and how far you progress, well, that's up to you. What I have found is simply like anything else--the more effort you put into developing yourself, the more you get back. (Step one--my opinion--if you have any negative junk in you, get rid of it. It makes it so much easier to progress.)

Update: May, 2008. Just saw John in person at a conference in Hershey, PA. He was absolutely wonderful. He provided a lot of useful information. He also did several readings and he had several people in tears with the information he "read" from their deceased friends/relatives/etc. (Tears are good, folks.) I think he really helped some people address some guilt they had stuffed inside themselves for who knows how many years. John was knowledgeable, funny, and very natural. He was very comfortable to talk to. In other words, he was not uppity. And I believe without a doubt that he is a 100% genuine psychic medium.

I loved this book! I love John Holland! He explains step by step how to be in touch with your soul and so much more!

Like everyone else, my world seemed to be crashing down upon me. I was turned onto "The Secret" by a friend and into the Hicks/Abraham books. I was amazed to find that I already practiced/believed some things they teach. My mother read Jane Roberts/Seth, but I couldn't get into those books. When I was at a low point, I went into Amazon.com and somehow, I found this book. Thank you Amazon.com! This book has helped me face my demons, change my thought process and become happy. No, it didn't happen overnight, but it has happened. My daily stress headaches have become less often. I'm actually practicing the exercises and moving along slowly. My first impression in some of the sections was "yeah, right, uh-huh". Then I re-read and I'm actually understanding. He writes so you can understand and practice. Some sections I would actually cry during the exercises, but kept going. I plan to purchase the paperback copy just so I will have a copy with me if I start to crash and he indicates this happens. At least he tells us how we can achieve inner peace/harmony and you have to work for it. Sappy, but, I can't explain how important this book has been for me and my life.

this will open your eyes to who we really are it will help you connect to the spirit within it is well written and a must to read if you want to learn about spirit world and were our own power comes from another great read is the calling of your true self elizabeth anne bell mixed together they are speaking a lot of truths both will help you with answers to the spirit and soul within

To be sure, this book is a compelling and engaging story and you feel tremendous admiration for Savarese and his wife, in their attempts to connect with their adopted son, DJ, who is profoundly autistic. However, there is so much more in the book than just that story, and I thought much of it was distracting. The poetry quotations, the interjections about Savarese's terrible relationship with his pompous and autocratic father, the recaps of the back-and-forth exchanges with DJ's biological father and his new wife (who Savarese despises), etc. etc. I enjoyed reading this book but all in all, I felt there was just too MUCH here. It read more like a stream-of-consciousness emotional outpouring by the author than a story with an organized and compact narrative. Savarese is a brilliant man and a talented author, no doubt, but a deft editing hand was needed here, and that didn't happen. Quite a bit of the extraneous information was marginally relevant to the story, but the narrative would have been stronger without all the other "stuff" thrown in. There are amazing, poignant moments in this book - the subplot about baby Charlie just broke my heart, as a mother - but I think DJ's story would have been better served by tighter storytelling and less interjection of Saverese's own editorial opinion and personal history. Still very much worth reading, and ultimately an amazing story. I did appreciate Savarese's discussions of the frustrations and exasperations of living with DJ, alongside the discussions of the triumphs. Savarese and his wife are truly amazing individuals who could teach us all a few lessons about love and acceptance.

This is a very interesting read. I am a mother of 5 children 2 of whome have autism and I have read many books on the subject. This story was like none that I have ever read before. I would have to say that the author and his wife have done the most amazing job of parenting this little boy and they must be truly wonderful people. Emily, DJ's mother must be so knowledgeable and so kind and patient. She is such an inspiration. DJ's father also impressed me, with his determination to give DJ the life he is entitled to. It is a wonderful story which touches on so many interesting and rarely spoken about topics in regard to disabilites. I was delighted to reach the end of the book and see just how much DJ had improved, and to know that the outcome of a little boy's life has been changed so dramatically for the better thanks to the kindness of two very special people.

I did how ever find some of this book very hard to read, the shocking abuse that DJ suffered in foster care, before his wonderful parents adopted him - I found this very disturbing and distressing. I also felt that the author goes off on a few tangents about his theories and quotes several other authors in great detail which I found a bit boring and hard to read.

Overall it was an amazing book.

Savarese's book on autism is a paradigm-altering read. In this memoir he recalls all that went through the transition of his young adopted boy as a noncumunicative "thing" (as seen by society), to a poetic activist. This book is more than a history of one family, it is also a commentary on our foster care system, how we treat those with disabilities and our education system. It also discusses the difficulty in changing scientific paradigms.

Although Savarese's prose and simile often get in the way - making the reading more difficult as you try to decipher some of the esoteric analogies - they are often very humorous, in a story filled with the tragedy of a boy tossed into society's dumpster. It is a story of sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect. It is the story of a child abandoned and mistreated that is then rescued by his loving, adoptive parents. What I found very interesting about Savarese's far left agenda, is that he recognizes the problems that we have had in addressing how to care for orphaned children and that neither the left nor the right have any really good solutions. The solutions are found in the path that the Savarese's took - personal involvement and dedication to the weakest in our society.

Unfortunately, after reading of the untold sacrifices made by the Savarese's, I would come to question whether any of us have the charity and strength to do what they have done.

This book was difficult to put down and hard to pick up to read. The pain suffered by DJ (their autistic boy) made it difficult to pick up while the odyssey of DJ from a "non-person" to a powerful and strong advocate-kid via facilitated communication is amazing. I often felt like I was reading about an alien that had visited the earth.

This is a brilliant, moving memoir that I would recommend to any reader. Despite the seriousness of its topics, this is a page-turner that you will not be able to put down (I read it non-stop in two days, as did my mother!). As someone with no experience or knowledge of autism, I found Savarese's book to be incredibly informative on many levels and lucidly written. But more than that, Reasonable People asks provocative questions about how we define family, community, and inclusion.

A must read!

This book will bring tears of acknowledgement and smiles of joy for those families who grapple with some of the these same issues. I truly believe the universe brings certain people together......Ralph, Emily, and DJ are three of those. It is time the world changes the perception of competence and what can be accomplished in believing that, right from the beginning. Ralph is a talented, thoughtful writer, and our family thanks him, and all the Savarese family for opening their lives up for this incredible story.

it was high voltage and moving.

give it a try.


it was reasonably priced.

motivation enough.

give it a try!!

Sexy in 6: Sculpt Your Body with the 6 Minute Quick-Blast Workout

This book makes it easy for a busy mom to get fit at home, without having to join a gym or buy expensive equipment.

The DVD is fantastic too - what a great idea to include it in a book about exercise. I found the personal stories of other women who were on Tracey's program extremely motivating as well.

In all, this is the best book I've read about women and fitness. It's a simple and easy to follow guide that will give you results quickly. And it can be worked into the busiest mom's schedule!

Tracey's program is easy to follow once you master it. I spent the weekend reading and studying and then started on Monday morning. I noticed a difference in my abs by the next Saturday. I have been a life long runner, so I dismissed the 6 minute thing as for novices only. It's a [...] kicker, as a matter of fact. She writes like she's your confidante and friend, and I really enjoyed it. If you're committed, then I suggest you buy her DVD's and do the work outs along with them. The time flies and in 6 minute segments, you'll be dripping sweat. This is a great change in work out regimins.

Tracey Mallett's 6 Minute Quick Blast Method is the perfect answer to the fitness needs of a busy person. With 3 kids under the age of 6 (including 3 year old twins) and a full-time work schedule, I have very limited time for exercise, but with the minimal time required for this program I been able to fit regular exercise back into my life and have seen dramatic results in just a few short weeks.

The 6 Minute Quick Blast Method is fantastic. With a lot of variety in the exercises and options to customize the workout based on what you feel like doing that day (e.g., focus on upper body, more on abs, more on lower body, or more total body), you never get bored with it. I would even venture to say...it is fun! The best part is you can break it up and just do 6 minutes at a time, so there's no excuse for why you can't fit it into a hectic day. The exercises are tough enough that you feel like you are really accomplishing results, but they don't leave you exhausted and sore - things that would make you not want to do it again the next day.

Following Tracey's guidelines in her book and the two videos have helped me accomplish great results in less than 30 minutes each day. Before this, I thought I had to work out for an hour a day to get results, and always ended up quitting any program I started as I just couldn't commit to that kind of time each day. Thanks to Tracey's program, I now have a solution to an exercise routine that I can commit to for the long term, as I know I can find the short amount of time to stick with it day after day.

Tracey's book brilliantly shares her years of expertise and experience in health, nutrition, and fitness. This is clearly a program written by a woman for woman. Tracey understands all those bulges and jiggles that many woman are self conscious about and has designed exercises to target those areas. The exercises are designed to work out several muscle groups at a time, so you get more bang for your buck! A very quick and efficient way to work out and GET results.
The 6 minute segments can be broken up throughout the day. No excuse not to squeeze in a quick blast here and there!
The food program is very easy to follow. It doesn't require unusual ingredients, just simple shopping and prep. It is easy to stick to because it doesn't eliminate any food groups. It is all about portion control and timing.
I participated in Team Mallet and Tracey's Sexy in 6 worked for me! In just six weeks I lost 4% body fat and several inches which means I replaced fat with muscle! Once you see the results, you'll be motivated to adopt this healthy life style forever! Let's face it, who doesn't want to look like Tracey!

This is a great book!!! I encourage all adults who want to be more informed about the health care industry to read it. You will be able to make better decisions about your own treatment. A great challenge to the conventional wisdom about routine testing.

This book is truly an eye opener. Millions of people are being screened for cancer every year, but is it really necessary? Is it really making a difference? Are people harmed by these tests in anyway?

Dr. Welch explains brilliantly, in my opinion, what these cancer screenings really mean. He argues that we are taking healthy symptom-free individuals and looking for cancer.

What most people do not know and I did not before reading his book is that:

1-There is no evidence that these screenings have actually saved lives. In fact despite increased detection of early stages of prostate cancer and breast cancer, the death rate for prostate cancer has stayed the same and the rate of late stage breast cancer has increased over a 25 year period.

2-Autopsies of people who have NOT died from cancer have shown cancer in the lungs, thyroid, kidney, etc. This means millions of people are living with cancer and die of other causes and not even know they had cancer.

3-If the screening finds cancer, it does not necessarily mean that it is the type that will grow rapidly.
a-It could regress on its own as our immune system eliminated abnormal cells, including cancers regularly.
b-It may stay the same for many years and never cause a problem
c-It may grow so slowly that cause no health problems and the person dies of something else before it does

4-Studies conducted by John Hopkins, Harvard, and others have shown that different pathologist give different diagnosis for the same tissues. They may look at the same tissue and some think it is cancer while others think it is not. Especially when it comes to the a few abnormal tissues found from screening a healthy individual.

5-Also between screenings it is possible to develop a fast growing cancer. So how often do we need to do mammograms and colonoscopies?

6-The statistics, such as the five year survival rate, are not always reliable and maybe calculated in a misleading manner.

So you have a mammogram, PSA test, colonoscopy, fecal occult test, etc done. This is what may happen:

1-You end up with a false positive, depending on the test, 10 percent false positive is the average.
2-You get the cancer scare unnecessarily.
3-This can begin a cycle of retesting, biopsies and other tests. Some can be very unpleasant and have side effects.
4-If they find an abnormal tissue, what does it mean it mean? May the pathologist made a mistake; maybe it has been there for many years; maybe it is a slow growing one; maybe it will go away on its own; maybe it is a fast growing one! Of course, your doctor can't take a chance with your health, and also does not want to get sued for malpractice, so most likely she recommends the most safest (which could be the most aggressive) course of action!

Here you were living a relatively healthy symptom-free life and now you are told you need surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy.

BUT once you or I know about they have found cancer, it is hard to know what to do, not to speak of the emotional toll. That's why Dr. Welch believes sometimes it is better not to know. However, as Dr. Welch cautions: If you have any unusual symptoms and your doctor recommends screening for cancer, make sure you are screened.

After reading the book I decided I do not need any screening. As long as I am symptom free and healthy, why put myself through tests that may or may not extend or save my life. I think as long as we don't do anything to harm our immune system, such as smoking, and do the things that enhance the immune system, such as exercise, there is no need to become a patient.

We all need to make the decision for cancer screening based on our priorities, family history of cancer, and other factors. Perhaps a good course of action is to read the book and consult your doctor for best options.

Thank you Dr.Welch for an excellent expose: Well researched and well written.

This is a great little book. In a little over 200 pages Welch reviews the science and data about cancer screening and concludes that it is not worth doing it. Cancer after cancer (prostate, skin, breast...) he shows that screening has very little benefit if at all in terms of life expectancy (I recently saw a scientific article defending mammography on the basis that it added 3 days of life to women having one regularly...) .
The main justification for cancer screening is the belief that a cancer caught early is not lethal. The problem is that a lethal cancer is in general not caught early. A lethal cancer is usually very aggressive and by screening time it has already spread (unless as Welch points out you are willing to be screened every other day...).
What screening is very good at is catch cancers (and Welch explains that the definition of cancer is not clear cut) that are growing slowly if at all and will probably never kill you... Have you noticed the epidemic of breast cancers or is it just me?
The only thing missing from the book is the broader implication of generalizing cancer screening. By devoting so much money to an irrational health policy the general population is deprived of many services that could really impact its health and improve the sorry health statistics of the United States.

Before reading this book, it had never occured to me that there were pros and cons re cancer testing. Welch has excellent credentials.He is on the staff of Dartmouth Medical College and writes articles for JAMA. In this book (which was also favorably reviewed in JAMA) Welch succinctly explains the perils of cancer testing in asymptomatic patients. He provides ample numerical data to support his contentions.The book is short and interesting and easy to read.

If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. This is possibly the most valuable book you will ever read regarding your health. Dr. Welch has impeccable bona fides, and his arguments are well-reasoned and well documented. He is a wonderful writer who makes sense of complicated, nuanced statistical analysis for the rest of us.

Of particular importance to this 53 year old woman is his detailed analysis of mammography and breast cancer. He completely debunks the hysterical coercion of women to have this test, and points out why declining to have one is a completely reasonable decision. This is of particular importance now in light of Elizabeth Edwards doing public penance for "letting down" the country and her family by skipping a mammogram! Elizabeth, honey, read this book! It is doubtful that mammography would have made any difference in your outcome.

Welch's dicsussion of DCIS, which is probably the most horribly overtreated fake "disease" in the history of modern medicine should be required reading for every woman over the age of 20.
Just buy it - I plan to give a copy to every person I love. It's that good.

Simply stated, I purchased the book for helping my grandson who is on the autism spectrum and has difficulty pronouncing certain sounds. Time will tell how effective Dougherty's manuscript will be.

Also, I can share the book with parents whose children have articulation problems. In my last years of teaching before retirement, I perceived that many more children have distorted speech patterns than when I began teaching in 1962. Early intervention seems the most successful approach in forming habits of speech and expression.

As a speech-language pathologist, I am often asked for suggestions for activities for encouraging speech and language skills. This book certainly provides that, plus many other important aspects of communication development. My favorite section is "encouraging your child's interest in the printed word." It presents a variety of ideas for parents to expose children to letters and sounds in a natural way, within the environment. A key area mentioned is to not stop reading to a child just because she can read.

This book is a great "new baby" gift. It is not difficult to read and would be valuable to new parents, just in terms of developmental awareness.

This book has a lot of good ideas and suggestions. It has helped me alot in being able understand my child's speech problem. With understanding and knowledge we are on a right track now!

Thanks to this book, I realized that my daughter is right on track with her speech development. (We had thought that she was behind.) This book also has some great exercises to do to help them learn to say the sounds right. Since we got this book, my daughter has learned three new sounds...f,r and v. I would recommend this for anyone who is concerned about their child's speech development.

As a speech language pathologist, I would recommend this book to parents because it is full of useful information about your child's speech and language, as well as activity ideas to promote progress and improvement. I frequently refer my clients' parents to this book because it is easy to read and provides specifics about many common speech and language issues young children experience.

I bought this book for my nephew and it met all my expectations and I am sure he will be quite pleased with it.

Excellent reading. Michael Garrett has become a fine teacher like his father before him. A true student of life Michael takes the Cherokee ancestral stories, mixes in some modern day experiences and relays a wonderful message. If harmony and balance are traits you would like to have within your own life I highly recommend this selection.

If you want to find balance in your life, this book is an excellent way to start on that pathway.

Michael continues his journey of a Helper in the truest form of "being Cherokee". I am amazed at how simple God our Creator is revealed in our self induced complexity of life. Thank you Michael for helping to remove the scales of our heart and spirit. For those of you who are Christians, I would encourage you to use Michael's book as a help in your journey through the Bible.

Blessings

I came across this book while exploring my recently discovered Native heritage. It fit the bill perfectly, helping me learn about universal Native traditions, practices, and thinking. I could go on and on, but it's enough to say that this book is well written, informative, and enjoyable. Michael Garrett has a lot to offer.

This book is very enligthening and so very helpful. My daughter in law has already used it as a resource for herself and family. Easy to understand and well written. Thanks to the author and her husband/

I have been following Suzy Cohen's syndicated column for as long as it has run in my local paper. When I heard of her published book, I ordered it immediately from Amazon. I wasn't disappointed. The information superhighway is so filled with misinformation that it is refreshing to get some really down-to-earth advice from someone who has the knowledge and is willing to share it. Her online web site is also useful for those who want to get more up-to-date, in-depth, health-related information.

People tend to listen to the "experts" and I am so glad, first, that Suzy learned the truth and second, that she has stepped forward to tell the truth about health, pharmaceuticals and what they can REALLY do to you. This book could save your life. A must have for anyone who finds that they must take prescription or over the counter drugs or are looking for another way. Get this book and give it to everyone you love.

I have purchased this book for about twelve people and had it shipped as a gift to them (one advandage to having the 2 day ship option). Susan gives alternate answers for problems, as well as, medical reviews. At times, she is very frank in her comments when it comes to sex and that sort of thing.

However, as stated above, I think that she has done an excellent job. So much so, that I want everybody I know to have a copy.

The 24 Hour Pharmacist is the perfect pill for anyone seeking insight on overall health from a resource that is thorough and fun to read. With chapter titles such as "Frazzled, Frustrated and Freaked Out: Coping with Anxiety and Stress" to "More Jiggle, Less Joint Pain: What You Can Do About Arthritis" you get the sense that the author well knows what course to recommend but also truly enjoys educating others. One feature I found especially enlightening were the sections in each chapter entitled "Suzy's Secrets From Behind The Counter". Here is where she (Suzy) offers great little insights to live by with a perspective that only a pharmacist can give. One good example of this is in the chapter about weight loss where she explains that some drugs can make you hungry. Included in her list are sedatives and tranquilizers, antidepressants, allergy pills, female hormones and diuretics. Wow, who knew?

As the owner of an enzyme company and the author of two books on enzymes, I was especially interested in the chapters dealing with Digestion and Enzymes. Chapter 4 is entitled "Do You Have the Guts to Throw Away Your Antacids?" and enzymes are discussed on pages 201 and 202 in a chapter she calls "Lose Fat While You Sleep...When Pink Elephants Fly". I must say, the information was extremely valuable yet easy to follow. I was so impressed with this book that I bought one for each member of my technical education team and asked them to become well acquainted with this excellent resource.

If you have not read Dr. Karl's book you are missing this summer's #1 read. His insightful, thought provoking writing style takes you inside the operating room and so much more. I was deeply moved by his experiences and his notable style of writing about them.

naturally i give this 5 stars becaue the author is my uncle but it is truely a GREAT book a must read

I was a patient of Dr. Karl's back in April 2002. I was in my mid 30's and of course scared to death of surgery. Dr. Karl was the 4th surgeon that I had consulted. Once I met him, I knew he was the surgeon for me. His understanding of what I was going through, his grace, his medical experience. I could go on and on.

When I heard he had written a book, I had to read it. As a patient of Dr. Karl's, when I was reading his book, I felt he was writing from his heart. There was no fluff in this book. Dr. Karl is a wonderful man, surgeon, person and spirit. I am sure Dr. Karl has touch so many people's lives. This book is a must read for patients and surgeons!
Tammy (Brock) Cartiglia

I was totally engrossed with this book. I have read several books recounting the life of Doctors in training and although I also found those fascinating, this one was great because it came from a different perspective.
I would sure feel much better facing a major medical need in my life with a sugeon who's understanding of the human condition is as keen as Dr. Karl's. Thanks for sharing you journey in medicine with us Dr. Karl.

A wonderful collection of stories about surgical life and how being a patient has made this surgeon a better health care provider. Karl does a terrific job of relating the hopes and fears that a surgeon has when performing his duties. The frailties and strengths of both patients and surgeons. Things that have gone right and things that haven't. The author has an obvious passion about his work and just as obvious compassion for his patients. Karl's unique writing style and skill really take the reader there. His descriptions of the feelings, moods and events are right on the mark.

This is the second volume of Janet Browne's superb biography of Charles Darwin (1809-1882). Browne, who is now Professor of the History of Science at Harvard, wrote both volumes while at the vital WellCome Trust Center at University College London (also the locale of the late Roy Porter). The book is just excellent all the way through. It picks up just at the point when the march of events is forcing Darwin to publish his finding in the epic "On the Origin of Species," when he is 49. Browne develops some interesting insights; such as the importance of the excellent British postal service to Darwin's work, since he communicated and exchanged information with individuals all around the world. In addition, she focuses upon the importance of that most unique institution, Mudie Library, which did so much to circulate Darwin's books throughout Britain, thereby altering CD's intention that his book would be targeted for a small elite audience. The author also has something to say about one of the most interesting Victorian figures, published John Murray, who benefitted from the surge of publishing and literacy in the mid-Victorian period. The profusion of journals and periodicals, such as the Edinburgh Review and the Westminister Quarterly Review, also did much so disseminate Darwin's ideas, as did events such as the Huxley v. the Bishop of Wilberforce debate ("I'd rather be a monkey than a bishop").

Equally interesting and important is Browne's discussion of how Darwin conducted his research and wrote a number of books. His research of heredity, facial expressions, worms, reefs and other topics are all covered. Browne does a good job in discussing all of the debates that erupted after the publication of the "Origin," and this tells us much about the development of Victorian science and intellectual history. Also of note is her discussion of how Darwin's ideas spread, the effects of celebrity on CD and his work, and his views of Christianity. The book is so well written that it is a pleasure to read, as Browne discusses some difficult concepts with such clarity and skill and every reader, no matter how extensive a scientific background, benefits from her treatment.
The book is supported by 63 pages of excellent notes, some helpful illustrations, and a 36 page bibliography. Browne is generally acknowledged as one of the world's leading scholars on the life and work of Darwin. Her involvement as Associate Editor of the 14 volume "Correspondence of Charles Darwin" has finely honed her understanding of Darwin and his thought. We should all be thankful that she is now at Harvard where more Americans can benefit from her superb expertise and insights.

Darwin's tightly held theories on natural selection are let loose to a resistant public but a public that was also proud of their intellectuals. Darwin's network of scientific friends and associates provide strength to a highly disruptive theory and in so advance their own scientific careers.

This one is also great, get both of these wonderful books on Charles Darwin. The first one is slightly better than this one, as one expects from biographies. CD is settled down, mostly writing and promoting his beliefs. He is sick a lot, but carries on. There just got to be too much detail toward the end of this, for me. Otherwise the level of detail and tone was pitchperfect throughout. What an astounding, amazing effort these two books represent. A real gem.

Along with the rest of the well-deserved high praise that comes to Janet Browne's biography of Charles Darwin I would add, with others, that its most extraordinary aspect is its readability. Biographies are almost always irritating in some way or another--Browne's volumes are effortless in any genre, miraculous in the difficult work of biography. It's quite true that both _Voyaging_ and _Power of Place_ are books you can't put down; they are so absorbing that you instantly forget you are reading. I find myself recommending them to people with no interest whatsoever in the subject simply for the reading pleasure. For scholars of the historical subject, the volumes provide a unified and inspiring reference. Browne's is a tremendous gift to Darwin's legacy and to the reception of his work.

This the second volume of Browne's Darwin biography has evoked high praise from a number of Amazon reviewers. It's praise well deserved. Her theme, the importance of Darwin's social position and his dedicated use of it to promote the uptake of his theories, makes a nice counterpoint to the path-breaking Desmond and Moore biography, whose theme was the `tormented evolutionist'. Not that Browne downplays the ghastly burden of Darwin's invalidity on his person and family: torment it assuredly was. Yet he persisted in his labors, which included extensive involvement with many helpers, and somehow managed to bring it all to fruition. What were the emotional springs of that endurance? Dedication to the glory of the Nation, or to Science, or to Mankind? No, the poetry of ideals is missing. Exaltation in his ever-increasing celebrity? Again No. While Darwin kept a detailed record of every review of the Origin and other publications, and took measures to promote them, fame was not his defining horizon. If it were, he probably would not have anguished, as he did, about the expected heat entropy termination of life on Earth some millions of years hence. Consistent with that gloom, his final publication was on worms, whose habitat, he well understood, he would soon join. Browne writes: `He was in the grip of a vision of time as powerful and as bleak as anything in Victorian culture'. The source of his endurance seems to have been his immersion in the routine of Downe House. The routine included his dependency on wife Emma and the kids, especially Henrietta and Francis. He kept a detailed account of household expenses and, in pinchpenny manner, insisted on avoidance of extravagance despite his wealth, which he more than doubled thanks to astute investments. Although he could have easily created a state-of-the-art research station at Downe, he persisted (against Francis' appeals) in the use of crude and meager equipment, much to the amazement of scientists who visited him. Yet greatness somehow arose from just this obsessive immersion in routine that stretched over four decades. Browne notes that his devoted friend Joseph Hooker exclaimed on receiving a photographic portrait that he `looked like Moses'. Sons William and Francis agreed. So have millions who've seen the expression of deep thoughtfulness in the numerous portraits of the frail, aging Darwin.

What was his illness? His death certificate specified angina pectoris syncope as the cause. Today an autopsy would probably confirm cardiac arrest. He had experienced heart pains periodically for years, although several physicians found no symptoms of heart disease. I was surprised that in her illuminating discussion of his illnesses Browne doesn't notice that Darwin's fatigue, which greatly reduced his mobility for about two decades, is consistent with heart failure. When we add the information that Darwin was a long-time smoker, confidence in that diagnosis increases. And the retching and flatulence? Browne mentions the proposal that these symptoms could be effects of Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which he might have contracted in Chile. Retching, skin rashes, and heart disease are symptoms of the disease in its chronic phase. This is an attractive diagnosis, since it achieves concordance of clinical signs from two causal pathways. Browne puts it aside because, it seems, she suspects an interaction between Darwin's stressed emotional life, his peculiar withdrawal into the Downe House refuge, and physical symptoms (pp. 235ff). Alas, she seems unacquainted with contemporary psychiatry, which would easily read her symptom list as indicative of the Avoidant Personality Disorder (`Grief and guilt surely played their part in his psyche. Fear, too, especially in the way his body would most often fail when he intended make a public appearance, suggesting some deep-seated dread of exposure. His customary reticence may have reflected a wish to avoid getting involved with other people's emotions-reticence and modesty could have been the polite face of dissociation, the spurning of closeness' p. 237). APD would link Darwin's strong avoidance pattern with his equally strong striving for approval, and pain on the occasion of disapproval of friends and strangers. It also incorporates his many self-deprecations and his anticipations, even from friends, that they might respond to a thought of his with extreme disapproval, eg, `crucifixion'.

I turn briefly to Browne's rendition of the Huxley-Wilberforce debate at the June 1860 BAAS meeting in Oxford. The debate is a paramount icon in the Darwin legend and a `defining moment in Victorian history' (p 115). The confrontation occurred on the last day of a conference that had been dominated by public and academic excitement about the Origin of Species. A large audience turned out expecting to hear Bishop Wilberforce `smash' Darwin's theory. They were not disappointed, for the Bishop, who was Bishop of Oxford and hence on home ground, did indeed criticize the theory on a number of points. The presiding officer, Darwin's former teacher Rev Henslow, called on Huxley to speak. He defended the logic and evidence of Darwin's theory, and finished with the damning declaration that if he had to choose between accepting an ape as his grandfather and a high dignitary who obfuscated science to defend prejudice, then he would prefer the ape grandfather. The Darwin legend interprets Huxley's retort as a one-line `proof' of the superiority of science to theology which also shifted the mixed feelings of the audience into emphatic support for Huxley and science. But did it happen? Did Wilberforce taunt Huxley about his ancestry and did Huxley respond as claimed? Did the audience convulse in laughter at the Bishop and treat Huxley as a hero, as he boasted? Doubts arise because the first report of this incident was an aside in a 1898 article, `A Grandmother's Tale', in Macmillan's Magazine-38 years after the event! The critical literature on this event has pretty well reduced it to wishful thinking of Darwin partisans, beginning with Huxley's imaginary self-congratulatory victory. Even if the facts were as claimed in The Grandmother's Tale, they would have no bearing on the substance of Wilberforce's criticisms, which he detailed in a lengthy review of Origin. As for Huxley, he had publicly expressed doubts about the compatibility of Darwin's theory with the long periods of stasis in the fossil record; and he never accepted natural selection as the main mechanism of evolution. Browne's narrative of this iconically central issue is unsatisfactory. She does not advise readers that serious criticism of the story has been made and her narrative incorporates Huxley's tale as fact. Yet she knows that the celebrated triumph is imaginary. Solution? `The gossip running through the crowd afterwards quickly crafted an epic narrative, a collective fiction with an inbuilt meaning much more tangible and important than reality. All felt they were witnessing history in the making' (pp. 124f). There you have creative history: gossip frankly declared to be better than reality. Smacks of postmodernism.