Wisconsin Books

Making The Modern Medical School: The Wisconsin Stories by Robert Oliver (Fellow in the Center for the Study of Cultures, Rice University) is a collection of true stories about the evolution of medical instructional facilities in Wisconsin. From faculty disputes to advances in medical science, the anecdotal stories and slices of "insider" history in Making The Modern Medical School is simply fascinating reading, and highly recommended for anyone who wants to know the real story behind what happens in Wisconsin's medical school environment in order to teach young men and women how to save lives.

The book is an awesome product. The colored photos is what makes this such a great field guide.

In the past scholars often depicted the rise of the factory system as a decisive step in the development of modern economic life, in many cases as a synonym for the industrial revolution. This emphasis, while understandable in terms of the contrast between the handicraft shop and the early factory, now seems less appropriate. If nothing else, the contrast between the large plant of the present day and its nineteenth-century predecessor suggests the need for a revised view. The following essays, accordingly, focus on a subsequent period, when the factory and, above all, "the associating principle" changed significantly. The dominant themes of this process, the substitution of formal, centralized controls and the increasing influence of management over the factory and its labor force, were the bases of the "new factory system," which in turn became the foundation of the modern industrial administration.
--- from book's preface.

I have the earlier edition of this book. It's one of the first comprehensive books about snow. What it is and how it affects life. Even a lot about skiing, and avalanches, and clearing snow from roads, etc. Great to see that it's available again. There's sure a lot more to snow than one would think!

I used this manual during my surgical clerckship last year and found it to be extremely useful. This text deals with perioperative patient care in a concise, easily memorized and very clearly laid down manner. It is also very useful in reviewing important subjects that are usually ignored during surgical rounds such as cardiac arrhythmias and others. It is very deductive and easy to read . I recommend it to every medical student taking a surgical clerckship so that he/she may better comprehend the crucial role of good pre- and postoperative care of the patient and inhance their knowledge in different subjects of great importance in surgical theraputics.

One hundred and fourteen years ago, in 1893, Swain and Tate, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, published a 547 page history of Company E and the Twelfth Wisconsin Regiment during the Civil War. Hosea W. Rood, late of Company E of said regiment, gathered memories from the participants of several unit reunions and produced this wonderful source of recollections about the Marching Twelfth. This regiment traveled 3,159 miles by steamboat, 2,506 miles by rail and 3,838 miles on foot. They lost 329 men killed, died of wounds, disease and accident during their almost four years of service.

Fine editing of this long out of print book by Editor Peggy M. Singer resulted in the publication of her book, "The Marching Twelfth, The Story of the Twelfth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment as Told by the Men Who Served in It."

Whitcomb and his regiment saw service in Kansas, at Vicksburg, Jackson, Natchez, and the Meridian Campaign in Mississippi, Kennesaw Mountain, Nickajack Creek, the battle of Atlanta in Georgia. Jonesboro, the pursuit of Hood, the March to the Sea and the Carolina Campaign with a final appearance at the Grand Review in Washington, D. C. in May of 1865.

Superior editing by Ms. Singer has produced a readable, affordable and accurate story of the Twelfth Wisconsin. The inclusion of the regimental roster and an index is always a joy to the genealogist.

Richard N. Larsen
Reviewer

Michael Hachey has written a winner on his first try. While the plot could be a bit tighter, Hachey gives us characters who ring true and are a delight to follow. The relationship between the main characters is wonderful and believable. Dexter Loomis is a somewhat unwilling and completely inexperienced police chief, and Ann Summer is a very experienced and well-connected state crime bureau detective. While the reader expects them to become lovers, it doesn't happen, and the result has a ring of truth as well as relief. Ann's partner while not an original character, is funny and tough, and Dexter's paramedic friend is a good and original sounding board for the new chief. The other characters in the book, however, are the people who can be found in small towns anywhere in the country, and that's what really makes this book a fun read. From bankers to plumbers, from waitresses to the town bad-boy, Hachey has them all wired. The result is a fun read about a man trying to do his best for his neighbors and not really trusting himself as he tries to solve a crime that would rock any small town to its foundations. Publisher's Weekly says a sequel will not be anticipated, but they're wrong and completely out of touch with those readers who enjoy leaving the big cities for the heartland of America. Plenty of readers will want to know what happens when Dexter and Ann meet again.

To put my review in perspective, I'm very predjudiced since I grew up in La Crosse where Adolph Gundersen, a Norwegian immigrant, established the Gundersen Clinic and became an icon in La Crosse. Long after Adolph passed on, his numerous doctor-sons, and grandsons, and I believe great-grandsons still carry on his great tradition.
Another reason for my predjudice is that I was "delivered" in 1932 by Gunnar Gundersen, one of Adolph's many doctor-sons. Additional bias results from the fact that my wife's mother assisted Adolph in the operating room as a student nurse way back in the 1920s.
In any event, I REALLY enjoyed the book! Not only does it tell the truly REMARKABLE story of Adolph Gundersen and how his extended family made such a lasting imprint on the La Crosse and national, state and medical scenes. I also found the book's history of La Crosse (including "White Beaver", the much respected local medicine man) very interesting. And even more interesting was its great portrayal of the the evolution of medicine during the 20th century. I guarantee you will enjoy it even if you're not from La Crosse.

Ms. Goheen adroitly locates her work in the grassfields of Cameroon within a rich theoretical framework. Fascinating reading for the anthropologist and layman alike.

Awesome book. This books paints a picture of Mexico City like no other. It's a collection of 30-some essays and reportage. Some have a historical perspective (e.g., the Metro system just after it was built), while others are very recent. This isn't a guidebook, but it will give you a better understanding of the city's underpinnings than a stack of Lonely Planets ever will.

Most of the authors are Mexicans; a lot of the essays are famous in Mexico, and appearing in English for the first time. There is a level of authenticity here that is not reached by competing books (e.g., David Lida's 'First Stop in the New World' -- which is more of an American journalist's perspective on things.)

The writing is exciting, artistic, and well-chosen.