There are Places in the World Where Rules Are Less Important Than Kindness by Carlo Rovelli, Allen Lane 2020 p 230 £20 ISBN 9780 241454688 Reviewed by Dr Arpan K Banerjee Former Chair and current Trustee Brit Soc Hist of Radiology Carlo Rovelli is an Italian physicist best known for his books ‘Some brief lessons in Physics’ and ‘The Order of Time’ both worldwide best sellers. In the 1960’s to the 1980’s Richard Feynman was considered the great populisers of physics, an accolade passed on to Stephen Hawking at the end of the twentieth century and now the baton is being bestowed on Carlo Rovelli. Rovelli is an Italian theoretical physicist who has made significant contributions to the study of space and time. He is probably best known to the public however for his books popularising physics. This new collection of his translated pieces ( translated by Erica Segra and Simon Carnell) are a delightful smorgasbord of his varied interests and are a collection of short essays previously published in a variety of Italian newspapers and periodicals. The title I think is a great one and should be applicable to the NHS! Essay topics range from Aristotle, Copernicus and Newton through to Black Holes, global warming and scientific philosophy and even the author Nabokov’s interest in butterflies. Einstein’s many errors are the subject of an interesting piece ( if the great man made so many errors what chance do we mere mortals have?! ) Darwin gets a mention and readers will find the essay on the double Nobel Laureate Marie Curie of interest. The essay on the brilliant British mathematician Roger Penrose written in 2011 is now of topical interest– he was awarded the Physics Nobel Prize in October 2020. Finally an essay on the current Covid pandemic written in April concludes this collection. A truly eclectic and thought provoking collection. Rovelli in this collection of essays provides us with a glimpse of his wide interests in science, history and philosophy. The essays are short and pithy , well written and the translation has done him justice. Most people outside Italy will probably have not read them before and the collection produced here which can be dipped in and out of and provide both entertainment and education will no doubt also go on to be a bestseller like his previous books. |
![]() |
Taming the Rays -
|
|
Genes, Flies , Bombs and a Better Life -
|
|
Bones : Orthopaedic Pathologies in Roman Imperial AgeA Piccioli et alPublisher: Springer 2015,154pp. Reviewed by Dr Arpan K Banerjee, Chairman British Society for the History of Radiology. This new book from Italy is an interesting publication from the distinguished publishing house Springer which presents the results of analysis of over 1800 cases of bone pathology recovered from a recent archaeological excavation outside Rome. It is a truly multidisciplinary work involving orthopaedic specialists, radiologists, palaeopathologists, anthropologists and medical historians who have used scientific analysis including radiography and CT scanning to uncover information about the bones of Roman bodies from the first and second centuries AD unearthed from an excavation site from a Rome suburb. The scientific survey has unearthed fascinating, detailed information about ancient human osteology. Examples of infection including osteomyelitis, degenerative changes such as osteoarthritis and gout as well as of course trauma are all identified in specimens from 2000 years ago. There are chapters on the study of ancient bone remains, estimation of age of death, dentoalveolar disease, as well as information on orthopaedics in ancient Rome. The clinical case studies include examples of a wide range of fractures, degenerative diseases and even bone tumours, and metabolic and infective conditions. The book reminded me of the recent exhibition in the British Museum in 2014 on the ancient Egyptian Mummies in the British Museum collection which had been studied with CT scanning to reveal a wide range of diseases including tooth abscesses and peripheral vascular diseases to name a few. The studies from the Italian group shed light on medicine in early Rome and the scholarly well researched and illustrated volume is an important contribution to palaeopathological studies and will be of interest to a wide audience including medical historians. All the contributors should be congratulated in producing this fine work of scholarship |
|
The History of RadiologyAdrian Thomas and Arpan BanerjeeIn 1890, Professor Arthur Willis Goodspeed, a professor of physics at Pennsylvania USA was working with an English born photographer, William N Jennings, when they accidentally produced a Rontgen Ray picture. Unfortunately, the significance of their findings were overlooked, and the formal discovery of X- The discovery has since transformed the practice of medicine, and over the course of the past 130 years, the development of new radiological techniques has continued to grow. The impact has been seen in virtually every hospital in the world, from the routine use of Ultrasound for pregnancy scans, through to the diagnosis of complex medical issues such as brain tumours. More subtly, X- Written by two radiologists who have a passion for the history of their field, The History of Radiology is a beautifully illustrated review of the remarkable developments within radiology and the scientists and pioneers who were involved. This engaging and authoritative history will appeal to a wide audience including medical students studying for the Diploma in the History of Medicine of the Society of Apothecaries (DHMSA), doctors, medical physicists, medical historians and radiographers. |
|
Physicists and Physicians –A History of Medical Physics from the Renaissance to RöntgenFrancis DuckIn this book, Professor Francis Duck has written a fascinating story of the origins of medical physics. It starts in Renaissance Italy and ends with the discovery of x- The stories of biomechanics, medical electricity, physiological measurement, physiological optics and bioenergetics are all told. The French Revolution forged them into a single discipline. The subsequent impact on medical education is recounted. National characteristics are shown to have affected the spread of medical physics to Germany, England, Scotland and eventually the USA. The book includes 94 figures showing historical portraits, instruments and documents. It includes mini- IPEM 2013 |
|
A History of Neuro-
|
|
European Society for RadiologyThe European Society for Radiology, in cooperation with ISHRAD and the Deutches Roentgen Museum have published two excellent free books entitled The Story of Radiology to celebrate the International Day of Radiology. Click here for Volume 1 and here for Volume 2.
|
|
Practical Mystic: Religion, Science, and A. S. EddingtonM StanleyHardcover; £24.70 Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Chicago University Press; illustrated edition (16 Oct 2007) Language English ISBN- ISBN- This is an interesting biography of Arthur Stanley Eddington the Cambridge astronomer. Science and religion have long been thought incompatible and this is emphasised in the recent book 'The Grand Design' by Stephen Hawking. Science and religion was an interest of Silvanus P Thompson the Quaker physicist and first president of what became the British Institute of Radiology. The apparent contradiction between science and religion was fully resolved than in the life and work of Arthur Stanley Eddington (1882-
|
|
Science Isn't Everything: Memoirs of a ScientistLloyd KempSoftcover: 402 pages Publisher: Aspect Designs (2009) Language English ISBN 978-
Lloyd Kemp was born in 1914 and studied Physics at King's College in London and joined the Medical Physics Department at the Royal London Hospital becoming head of the department in 1946. He moved to the National Physical Laboratory and was for his work was awarded the Röntgen Prize of the British Institute of Radiology and the OBE. Sadly his wife Mary suffered a stroke In 1968 which had profound effects on their life together. Mary died in 1988 . Whilst this book is about his life in medical physics, it is also trying to describe the growth of his concerns with broader and deeper aspects of life including the spiritual basis of life. Lloyd Kemp will find himself in conflict with many scientists 'some of whom hold a near evangelical belief that science IS everything!' however his story is worth reading. Life is not easy and this book is an inspiring account of a one human's life and is worth reading.
|
|
Team Twenty Ten: A Global Problem One Solution: A TeamGeorge KorankyePaperback: 290 pages Publisher: McTaggart Publishing (15 Oct 2010) Language English ISBN- ISBN- This is the third book by George Korankye who is a radiographer in Scotland. He is attempting to convince the publishing world to accept education fiction abbreviated to edufiction/edufic as a genre. An edufictional novel is intended to educate the reader in a particular field, and may also seek to promote awareness about its chosen topics. Although the narrative can be fictitious, all references must be verifiable. Whilst this may sound a recipe for a dry read this is not the case for 'Team Twenty Ten' which is a good read. I had my copy from Amazon (where else!). Philips Healthcare has bought some for promotion use. And there are a few left embossed with "courtesy Philips..." on Amazon .co.uk priced it £2.50. The proceeds will be going to charity. George is trying hard to raise the profile of radiographers and he cannot do so alone. Once again a TEAM effort is needed!
|
|
Godfrey Hounsfield: intuitive genius of CTStephen Bates, Liz Beckmann, Adrian Thomas and Richard WalthamPublished by: The British Institute of Radiology (April 2012) 261 pages, dimensions 234 x 152mm [Paperback] ISBN 978- [Hardback] ISBN 978- [Website] www.GNHounsfield.org
Review by Professor Wade Allison: The world needs exceptional people like Godfrey Hounsfield, Nobel Prize winner and inventor of CT but where do they come from? In this biography the authors have made a unique contribution toward answering this question. They have described how Hounsfield, a much liked man with modest education and indeed support, came to make his extraordinary personal breakthrough in medical physics with its universal benefit. Some biographies of genius have to plumb the dark corners of distorted or extraordinary backgrounds, but not here. What Hounsfield brought was exceptional intuition, dogged persistence and self belief. The book is well written in a relaxed style that quotes well-
|
|
Radiation and ReasonWade Allison
In "Radiation and Reason" Wade Allison explains, in simple terms and without using fancy maths, how radiation affects life. Wade is a Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford with 40 years experience of teaching these things. His account challenges the traditional view that nuclear radiation is very hard to understand and an extreme hazard. Modern scientific and medical evidence makes it obvious that this view is wrong - A little nuclear radiation is quite harmless and in a world of other dangers - Without justification great damage has been inflicted on public health and economic life in Japan as a result of the accident at Fukushima. Throughout the world the intention of many countries to abandon the use of nuclear power or load it with ever greater safety regulation and cost is unnecessary and even dangerous to the future of mankind. Evidently a complete change in world radiological safety is needed.
|
|
Radium Girls: Women and Industrial Health Reform, 1910-
|
|
The Nuclear Option: A Philatelic DocumentRev John WaldenThis beautifully produced book is written by the Reverend John Walden and deals with the discovery, development, tactical use, devastation and aftermath of the use of 'The Nuclear Option.' It has 560 pages, and is a full colour hardback of 23 chapters with 1,800 illustrations and weighs 2.1 kilos! There is an excellent accompanying CD which may be purchased. The book is beautifully illustrated and is recommended for all radiological philatelists. There are a very large number of stamps with a radiological or atomic theme. The Reverend John Walden MA, F.Inst SMM(Rt), APS is a British Combined Forces nuclear test veteran and he participated in the 1957 'Antler' series of nuclear tests in Maralinga, Australia. He is a retired Church of England Pastor and now lives in Norwich. He has been a philatelist for over 60 years, and is the current President of the Norfolk & Norwich Philatelic Society. You can order the book by writing to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and if you mention my name he may give me a commission! The web address is: www.atomicstamps.eu
|
|
Shocking Bodies: Life, Death and Electricity in Victorian EnglandIwan Rhys MorusPublished by: The History Press Ltd Publication date: 01/Mar/2011 Format: Paperback - Product dimensions (mm): 234 x 156 IFor the Victorians, electricity was the science of spectacle and of wonder. It provided them with new ways of probing the nature of reality and understanding themselves. Luigi Galvani's discovery of 'animal electricity' at the end of the eighteenth century opened up a whole new world of possibilities, in which electricity could cure sickness, restore sexual potency and even raise the dead. In "Shocking Bodies", Iwan Rhys Morus explores how the Victorians thought about electricity, and how they tried to use its intimate and corporeal force to answer fundamental questions about life and death. Some even believed that electricity was life, which brought into question the existence of the soul, and of God, and provided arguments in favour of political radicalism. This is the story of how electricity emerged as a powerful new tool for making sense of our bodies and the world around us. ISBN-
|
|
The Transparent Body: A Cultural Analysis of Medical Imaging(In Vivo: the Cultural Mediations of Biomedical Science)Jose van Dijck(Paperback - Publisher: University of Washington Press (April 2005) Language English ISBN- ISBN- This book is interesting and looks mainly at the cultural implications of medical imaging. I find the interface between medical imaging and popular culture very fruitful. From the Amazon review: "From the potent properties of X rays evoked in Thomas Mann's "Magic Mountain" to the miniaturized surgical team of the classic science fiction film "Fantastic Voyage", the possibility of peering into the inner reaches of the body has engaged the twentieth- "The Transparent Body" considers the dissemination of medical images into popular culture. The interior of the body has become a pervasive and common cultural presence. Jose van Dijck explores the interactions between medical images and our cultural ideologies and again this book is recommended.
|
|
An Interventional Radiology Odyssey: The Story of my Life and Work
|
|
Louis Harold Gray: a founding father of radiobiology by S Wynchank.Springer 2017 pages 137 Reviewed by Dr Arpan K Banerjee Past Chairman British Society for the History of Radiology. This slim volume is a publication from the Springer Biography series. The last contribution in the series I read was the superb autobiography of Rosch the interventional radiology pioneer. This biography is of Louis Harold Gray the British physicist and a giant in the field of radiobiology which is the basis of modern radiotherapy. Hal Gray as he was known was born in London in 1905 an only child educated at Christ’s Hospital and subsequently the physics department at Cambridge University where he was taught by Rutherford. He was a brilliant student and continued to do a PHD at the Cavendish labs under the supervision of Chadwick discoverer of the neutron and a Nobel Laureate. Gray was interested in nuclear physics and was interested in how ionising radiation could treat tumours. He moved to Mount Vernon Hospital to pursue his interests as hospital physicist. He used a neutron generator to measure ionising effects on tissues. After the War he moved to the MRC Radiotherapy research unit at the Hammersmith Hospital where his team did much pioneering work. In 1949 he became President of the British Institute of Radiology. Sadly, after differences with his boss at he MRC unit he had to leave the Hammersmith Hospital in 1953 and returned to Mount Vernon where he built a superb world famous radiobiology unit. He did much travelling in the late 1950’s when he was at the height of his fame. Gray was elected Fellow of the Royal Society. Gray’s stroke is described and he sadly passed away in 1965 aged only 59. In 1975 he was honoured by having the absorbed dose of radiation named after him. This well researched biography is a delight to read and tells the story of a remarkable scientist whose contributions laid the foundation stones for future radiotherapy. |
Book Reviews
- Details
- Written by Super User
- Category: Uncategorised
- Hits: 347