Howard Markel, M.D., Ph.D., is the George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine and director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan. His books include Quarantine!, When Germs Travel, and An Anatomy of Addiction. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and The New England Journal of Medicine, and he is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio. Markel is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“A tour de force of scientific and social history, one that helps
illuminate a unique period in the long story of medical discovery.
. . . Absorbing and thoroughly documented . . . a vivid narrative
of two of the most remarkable of the many contributors to our
understanding of human biology and function.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“Incisive. . . . An irresistible cautionary tale.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“Terrific. . . . This rich, engrossing book reminds us of the
strangeness of even heroic destinies.”
—Los Angeles Times
“Markel creates rich portraits of men who shared, as he writes of
Freud, a 'particular constellation of bold risk taking, emotional
scar tissue, and psychic turmoil.'“
—The New Yorker
“A rich, revelatory new book. . . . [Markel is] a careful
writer and a tireless researcher, and as a trained physician
himself, Markel is able to pronounce on medical matters with
firmness and authority.”
—TIME
“A splendid history . . . [Markel is a] fluent, incisive and often
subtly funny writer.”
—The Baltimore Sun
“Provocative . . . persuasive and engrossing.”
—Salon.com
"Compelling and compassionate . . . a book that profoundly
demonstrates the complexity and breadth of their genius . . . a
richly woven analysis complete with anecdotes, historical research,
photos and present-day knowledge about the character of the
addictive personality."
—Booklist
“From the dramatic opening scene on the first page to the epilogue,
An Anatomy of Addiction is a hugely satisfying read. Howard Markel
is physician, historian and wonderful storyteller, and since his
tale involves two of the most compelling characters in medicine, I
could not put it down—addictive is the word for this terrific
book.”
—Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone
“It’s a fascinating book about fascinating men, but even more
interesting for those of us who want a glimpse of modern medicine
when it was just starting to develop.”
—The New Republic
“Dr. Markel braids these men’s stories intricately, intelligently
and often elegantly.”
—The New York Times
“Markel brilliantly describes the paradox of [Halsted’s and
Freud’s] lives.”
—Nature
“Inspired, entertaining and informative . . . [Markel] tells this
fascinating tale in an insightful contemporary book that is both
intellectually engaging and exceptionally well written.”
—Journal of the American Medical Association
“[A] witty, wide-ranging book.”
—Boston Globe
“A richly engaging book . . . highly recommended.”
—Wired
“Well-researched. . . . A thoughtful picture of late 19th century
medicine.”
—The San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
“Colorful study . . . brisk . . . an engaging well-researched
historical homily about fame and foible.”
—Bloomberg
“A fascinating revelation of conditions prevailing in hospitals and
medical circles in the late 19th and 20th centuries.”
—New York Journal of Books
“The best medical histories are the ones that cause the imagination
to run riot. A fast-rising master of satisfying this human quest
for mind-altering willies is the Michigan medical historian Howard
Markel.”
—The Winnipeg Free Press
“With both wit and style, Markel has produced a scrupulously
researched, meticulously detailed account of the history of
cocaine, as well as the drug dependences of Halsted and Freud.”
—Hopkins Medicine Magazine
![]() |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
![]() |