Broken Hearts: The Tangled History of Cardiac Care
Offers a historical perspective on medical decision making in the case of heart disease.(The Chronicle Review)For anyone who has had a heart attack or whose family member has had one, this book is definitely worth reading.(Stephen GoddardHistory Wire - Where the Past Comes Alive)Any health collection strong in cardiac care will find this a winning presentation perfect for general health or specialty collections alike.(Midwest Book Review)The light Jones shines on the interventional cardiovascular enterprise illuminates numerous, sometimes fatal and always costly flaws that every patient and society at large ignores at great peril.(Nortin M. HadlerScientists' Bookshelf)A surprising and sobering book. David S. Jones combines rigorous research with a clear narrative style to produce a very persuasive historical analysis. I heartily recommend that physicians readBroken Heartsto benefit from a dose of detective work, a dose of insight, and a good dose of humility.(Jack Coulehan, MDPharos)Jones does a very good job of outlining how difficult it is to understand all the workings of the human body, what is involved in medical research, and how that research is applied to human subjects through the lens of one medical specialty.(Katherine Burger JohnsonWatermark)All in all, Jones presents a different and refreshing take on the challenges before us. He provides more questions than answers, but this is all to the good. Unless we pose the proper questions we cannot ever hope to obtain the right answers.(Allen B. WeisseBulletin of the History of Medicine)Wide-ranging, full of interesting and telling historical details, steadily paced yet thorough in its making sense of complex medicine,Broken Heartsexposes cardiac care as neither mundane nor settled.(Janet K. ShimSociology of Health and Illness)Jones asks us to embrace the complexity of medical decision-making, to recognize medical research gains and gaps, and to acknowledge the social values and priorities that shape our present scenario. Difficult decisions in medicine remain, but perhaps Jones’s book will contribute to more judicious ones.(Shelley MckellarTechnology and Culture)For the past half century, patients have been advised to undergo valve replacement, angioplasty, or coronary artery bypass graft procedures to prevent or ameliorate cardiac pathologies. But how good are these procedures? How certain are the surgeons or physicians who recommend them that they will work? How do they know? Giving some answers to these questions and showing how the criteria for making medical decisions change over time are the themes ofBroken Hearts.(Choice)Jones’s larger point is a meditation on how we understand and misunderstand medical knowledge.(Sarah DineHealth Affairs)Very informative and containing important insights,Broken Heartsis thoroughly researched, well written, and the only work of its kind dealing with these treatments of heart disease.(Christopher Lawrence, University College London)This book will appeal to a wide audience interested in the history of coronary artery disease, its treatment options, and medical decision-making. For those wanting more, there is an extensive bibliography. In closing, Jones asks us to embrace the complexity of medical decision-making, to recognize medical research gains and gaps, and to acknowledge the social values and priorities that shape our present scenario. Difficult decisions in medicine remain, but perhaps Jones's book will contribute to more judicious ones.(Shelley McKellarTechnology and Culture)