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Book Review |
A tale of two books: milestones on the path to understanding multiple sclerosis
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
The publication of a new work is always exciting—whether this is a novel offering pathos, humor or other insights into the human condition, or a work of non-fiction whose object is to inform, stimulate or clarify. The recent publication of two landmark books on multiple sclerosis (MS), both very different in scope and objectives, but with many elements in common, provides an opportunity for personal comment and an historical perspective on the modern elucidation of this complex disease.
How do we conceptualize illness? This question has been at the centre of medical investigation over the millennia, and the issue continues today, at both individual disease and broad ethnoanthropological levels. Cultural differences in the approach to illness and wellness are most striking in considering differences in attitudes between ‘developed and undeveloped’ populations, and especially in the comparison of Eastern and Western traditional medical practices. These have seen subtle shifts in the
Professor of Pathology (Neuropathology) and Associate Dean (Research), Queen's University Kingston Ontario, Canada