A great book to read if you are interested in the subject. The first chapters about radical cancer surgery are stomach-turning but the author tempers the depressing subject matter with the personal stories of recovery of his patients.

While reading this book I realized that this is the first time that I have read a history of medicine. It never fails to amaze me that what we know now as facts were figured out slowly over the years by researchers and doctors and with the inevitable trial and error process that occurred many horror stories are detailed as doctors came to understand how to treat cancer with surgery and later with modern medicines.

It's good to understand how the medical profession makes progress, how drug trials are conducted, and how the understanding of how the body works has progressed through research aimed at finding a cure for cancer. Also interesting was how society and activism play a part in moving the agenda on.

Overall I found it a hopeful book and worth reading but I don't think I need to read anymore books on this topic for a while.