Autobiography: science, technology and medicine Books

Book SynopsisIn his second book, Sterling Haynes begins by telling us that at the age of seventy a left hemisphere stroke rearranged his brain. "My right creative side took over and I started to write poetry and humour. I was left with a partially paralysed right foot, but a writer''s creative right brain. I think I got the better of the deal, a new brain in trade for a foot. The funny episodes in my medical practice became hilarious. The sad, melancholy parts of my life''s memories looked less bleak." Haynes goes on to share the humorous and sometimes bizarre tales of his life as a doctor; a man shoots off his big toe in a drunken binge and then begs the doc to get him to Sunday Mass on time, an inmate swallows a spoon to avoid solitary confinement, an accident with a Murphy bed leaves a man hanging for more than ten hours. "I worked long hours, made house calls, went out with the ambulance and flew to remote accident areas, sometimes receiving payment in kind: hinds of beef, lamb and moose, bags of potatoes and turnips and on one occasion, a big game guide brought me a four point buck in payment for delivering his first son, leaving the dressed carcass in the centre of my waiting room." Haynes tells it like it was in these tales of a frontier doctor, from Williams Lake to Alabama.

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Book SynopsisThis is a remarkable and deeply wise reflection on land, farming, a sense of place, connecting with nature and what it means to live on this earth. As a third-generation farmer, the author''s roots go deep into the land but her work also captures her thoughts on such current issues as the environment, environmental identity, and animal ethics. Her writing is poetic, lyrical, and engaging. Part farmer, part poet, part activist, Armstrong engages her readers through her fascination and close involvement with both the natural and the human worlds.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature. The Uncrowned King of Mont Blanc by Peter Foster is the biography of scientist and mountaineer Thomas Graham Brown, whose encyclopaedic knowledge of the mountain earned him the soubriquet, and whose achievements in the Alps and Greater Ranges place him at the forefront of British mountaineering between the two world wars.Born in Edinburgh in 1882, Graham Brown first pursued a career in the sciences as a physiologist – his exacting father demanding the highest standards – and the results of his research, largely unrecognised at the time, now underpin current understanding of the nervous control of movement in animals and man. His mountaineering career began in earnest after the First World War. From rock climbing in the Lake District he progressed to guided climbs in the Alps, where in 1927 he was fatefully introduced to Frank Smythe with whom he made the groundbreaking first ascents of the Sentinelle Rouge and the Route Major on the Brenva Face of Mont Blanc. This resulted in an obsession with the mountain and a feud between the pair that smouldered and flared for twenty years.Ambitious, determined and uncompromising in his views, he never left others feeling neutral: Geoffrey Winthrop Young thought him ‘a vicious lunatic’, yet Charles Houston felt closer to Graham Brown ‘than almost anyone else I know’. Graham Brown’s life was one of turbulence in his career, relationships and in the mountains, whether on expeditions to Mount Foraker, Nanda Devi and Masherbrum, or most frequently, the Alps.Peter Foster has drawn upon diaries, letters and extensive archival research that illuminate the highs and lows of Graham Brown’s scientific and climbing careers, and explores the imbalance between the significance of his achievements and the lack of recognition he received. But, above all, The Uncrowned King of Mont Blanc allows one to hear Graham Brown’s voice: querulous, opinionated and, to the discomfort of his many adversaries, almost always right.Table of ContentsForeword by Lindsay Griffin. Introduction. Chapter 1: Early Influences. Chapter 2: First Steps in Physiology. Chapter 3: Sherrington and Liverpool. Chapter 4: Physiologist at War. Chapter 5: Professor. Chapter 6: A New Direction. Chapter 7: To the Alps. Chapter 8: Climbs with F.S. Smythe. Chapter 9: Fallout. Chapter 10: Alpine Heyday. Chapter 11: The Alpine Club. Chapter 12: Annus Mirabilis. Chapter 13: C.S. Houston and Mount Foraker. Chapter 14: Himalayan Prospects. Chapter 15: Nanda Devi. Chapter 16: Masherbrum. Chapter 17: Interlude. Chapter 18: Return to the Mountains. Chapter 19: Editor of the Alpine Journal. Chapter 20: Alpine Historian. Chapter 21: Vagabond Professor. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisTo the abdominal surgeon a first successful Whipple procedure is what a first combat mission is to the fighter pilot: a symbol of competence -- the fruits of prolonged training. Not many surgeons managed to incorporate their names into a commonly used eponym; Allen Whipple did and so became immortalised as a household name to surgeons world-wide. Yet, little has been known and written about Whipple, the great American surgeon -- the person and his other interests. This is what this book is about: an edited version of Whipple's previously unpublished memories, which until now -- for more than forty years -- has collected dust. In these pages the retired Whipple describes the journey of his life from the very beginning in Persia, where he was born, to the very end in New Jersey where he died. He provides snap shots of himself, his family and friends, his colleagues, and the changing times in which he lived. The editors have abbreviated the original manuscript by a third and have added footnotes and illustrations. An introduction and 'end page' adds perspective to the memoirs. It has been said "God put the pancreas in the back because he did not want surgeons messing with it". Allen Whipple had the courage to mess with the pancreas and to show us how to mess with it successfully. But what kind of man was he and how did he arrive at his achievements? Find out in this book.

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Book SynopsisSmall Game Hunter echoes the author's fascination and appreciation of the strange and wonderful world of insects and spiders. It is a scientific and cultural kaleidoscope of the many encounters that he had across his career and around the globe.

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Book SynopsisDavid Nutt regularly hit the headlines as the UK's forthright Drugs Czar (Chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs), not least when fired by the Home Secretary in 2009 for his 'inconvenient' views. In Nutt Uncut he explains how he survived ill-judged political and media vilification to establish the respected charity Drug Science, with the aim of telling the truth about drugs. The book describes his life, distinguished career and scientific achievements, including his research into the human brain and the effects that both lawful and criminally illegal substances (including psychedelics) have on the brain and behaviour. It also catalogues with expert precision the risks of harm to drug users and others of a range of well-known drugs. Surveying the state of medical knowledge around various currently prohibited substances - from hard drugs to LSD, cannabis, ecstasy, magic mushrooms and poppers - Professor Nutt ranks their potential harms and benefits (e.g. in treating anxiety, depression or pain) leading him to challenge the distorted logic of a blanket ban on anything psychoactive except alcohol, tobacco and caffeine. Nutt Uncut contains far, far more about the usually hidden world of drugs, their use, abuse and role as a political bargaining counter - making it of interest not just to the many experts and others who already support the author's campaign for a frank, evidence-based approach to drugs but also anyone who wishes to learn about what he describes in Chapter 11 as 'policy madness.'Trade Review‘Nutt’s book achieves his goals, to “put into the public domain, in non-specialist terms, the truth about psychiatric disorders and their treatments” and to counter “extreme and unfounded claims” about drugs. It is also an absorbing read for clinicians who want to brush up on their psychopharmacology and to appreciate better the convoluted paths of government health policy decision-making.’– BJPsych Bulletin.Table of ContentsForeword by Ilana B Crome. Becoming Conscious: Politics and the Science of Breathing; Shocking Times: Bombs and Life Threats; Revealing Anxiety Through Reframing Benzodiazepines; Struggles with Serotonin; Alcohol - A Drug or Not a Drug?; Ecstasy or Not?; Conflicts Over Cannabis; The Scale of Harms; The Sacking; The Rise of Drug Science; And It Gets Worse! More Policy Madness with the Psychoactive Substances Act; Resurrecting Psychedelic Research with Magic Mushrooms; Psilocybin and Depression; A General Theory of Psychedelic Actions - Imaging LSD and DMT; Moving MDMA back into the Clinic; Coda: Further Reflections and Timeline. Index.

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Book SynopsisThe bite of the tsetse fly - a burning sting into the skin - causes a descent into violent fever and aching pains. Severe bouts of insomnia are followed by mental deterioration, disruption of the nervous system, coma and ultimately death.Sleeping sickness, also known as Human African trypanosomiasis, is one of Africa's major killers. It puts 60 million people at risk of infection, occurs in 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and claims the lives of many thousands of people every year. Transmitted by the tsetse fly, trypanosomiasis affects both humans and cattle. The animal form of the disease severely limits livestock production and farming, and in people the toxic effects of the treatment for the brain disease can be as painful and dangerous as the disease itself. Existing in the shadow of malaria and AIDS, it is an overlooked disease, ignored by pharmaceutical companies and largely neglected by the western world.Peter Kennedy has devoted much of his working life to researching sleeping sickness in Africa, and his autobiographical account shares not only his trials and experiences, evoking our empathy with the affected patients, but an explanation of the disease, including its history and its future. Interwoven with African geography, his compassionate story reveals what it is like to be a young doctor falling in love with Africa, and tells of his building of a vocation in the search for a cure for this cruel disease.Trade ReviewThis is a remarkable book. It is filled in equal measure with passion for science and compassion for the people afflicted with this cruel disease. - SIR ROGER BANNISTER Peter Kennedy's book provides a clear, intelligent and insightful overview of the current challenges related to diagnosing and treating patients with this disease due to the difficult conditions and limited tools available... This book will complement the ongoing efforts by many organisations... to raise awareness about this neglected disease and promote urgently needed action to reduce the devastation it causes. - UNNI KARUNAKARA, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES CAMPAIGN FOR ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL MEDICINES

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Book SynopsisTime to Heal tells the story of the colourful life of a country doctor towards the end of his career. In turn shocking, sad and funny, they describe a doctor who feels poorly served by the conventional medicine of his time and finds new ways to relieve the suffering of his patients. This tale has a twist. Twenty-first century General Practice and its patients have been betrayed by top-heavy regulation, performance management and a blame culture. Young doctors no longer want to enter General Practice. The author explores why and how pandemics might provide the answers. ‘A fascinating look into life as a village doctor, with observations so profound it seamlessly becomes a thesis on humanity as a species. The local GP, not only a potential lifesaver but also a constant and friend in these ever-changing, isolated times has never been more needed. A beautiful and moving book.’ – Lady Sophie Windsor (nee Winkelman), Actress ‘A wonderful book, full of fascinating, engaging and timely stories. Michael Dixon reminds us of the importance of human medicine and the way in which communities can create health. He concludes with a new vision for health which blends the best of the past with the latest technology and science - and which will help us cope better with future pandemics.’ – Lord Nigel Crisp, Former Chief Executive and Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health ‘Time to Heal describes very human stories – entertaining, thought provoking, and eminently readable, whilst woven through the text is the insight that general practice is the human face of medicine.’ – Sir Denis Pereira Gray, Former Chair and President, Royal College of General Practitioners

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Book SynopsisPaul Weinberg spent 30 years in the Emergency Room (or ER) as a medical doctor and has seen everything, Described as “a strange career” by the author, entry into the field is unrestricted and open to all who are brave (or foolish) enough to start into the stream without the knowledge of the tsunami ahead. The strangeness of the practice is apparent from the very first visit to a busy urban ER. The swarm of commotion and great vividness of the scene can be dizzying. The relentlessness of the torrent and its strange day and night rhythms can enthral and repel like no other practice or job. In turns shocking, sad and funny, this book contains remarkable tales, inside stories and the experiences of a doctor’s career in ER. Emergency medicine in America is a critical asset to its healthcare system. The ER doctor is located at the interface of the public and the first point of healthcare. If a doctor is needed outside of office hours, nights, or holidays, if the patient is uninsured or has inadequate insurance, or is of such a social state that they might be unpleasant to be around, no one is turned away at the ER. In short, the life of the ER doc is one where no situation is off limits.

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Book Synopsis'Vital and heart-wrenchingly intimate' Leah Hazard'Urgent, fascinating and thought-provoking' Julia Bueno'Thoughtfully researched and beautifully written' Pippa VosperAfter losing four pregnancies with no obvious cause, Jennie Agg set out to understand why miscarriage remains such a profoundly misunderstood, under-researched and under-acknowledged experience.Part-memoir, part-scientific investigation, Life, Almost documents Agg's path to motherhood and her search for answers. Tracing each tentative step of her fifth pregnancy - as her body becomes a creature she does not wish to spook - Agg dismantles the myths that we unquestioningly accept about our reproductive lives:· Why are we told miscarriage can't be prevented when half of all miscarriages are of perfectly healthy embryos?· Why is it normal not to tell anyone you're pregnant for the first three months? · Why don't we know why labour starts? Drawing on pioneering research and interviews with world-leading experts, Life, Almost is a ground-breaking book that will change how you think about miscarriage, and a moving reflection on grief and love at the edge of life as we understand it.Trade Review'Vital and heart-wrenchingly intimate, this is the miscarriage manifesto we need'Leah Hazard, bestselling author of Hard Pushed'Beautiful, powerful and important ... Essential reading for anyone who lives in a world where miscarriage happens - a book for us all'Georgina Lucas, author of If Not For You'An urgent, fascinating and thought-provoking book that should pioneer new conversationsJulia Bueno, author of The Brink of Being'A thoughtfully researched and beautifully written book'Pippa Vosper, author of Beyond Grief'The perfect combination of informed personal experience and practical journalistic research. Highly recommended'Viv Groskop, author of How to Own the Room

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Book SynopsisOpening with his award of Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the book relates John's personal and family history from his English and Belgian parents and grandparents and their roles in two World Wars. His Belgian grandparents were evacuated to England in the first war: his father was shot at by the Germans during the liberation of Antwerp and his mother bombed in a pub in South London while serving in the London Auxiliary Ambulance Service in the second. Managing to get into veterinary college from a large comprehensive school in South London, John recounts tales from his studies and goes on to discuss various major debates which occurred during his career, including vaccinations and the anti-vaccine lobby. The role of badgers and TB is also discussed. The tale of his experience of meeting children with the drug-induced injury of thalidomide is both life-affirming and tear-jerking. His time in East Africa, including his experiences in Uganda under Idi Amin's dictatorship, is chilling but still funny and up-lifting. The tales of his experiences in general and specialist veterinary practice, with memorable farm, horse, dog and cat cases are enlightening, educational and sometimes sad but often very hilarious. The horrific experiences with foot-and-mouth disease will get any animal lover in tears and questioning what happened and why? But the option of a Vegan Utopia in a world without farm animals is dismissed as a sad alternative as demonstrated when large swathes of the United Kingdom were left without stock after the outbreak.

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Book Synopsis'HONEST, POWERFUL AND RIVETING'Levison Wood, author of The Art of Exploration'JUST BRILLIANT...THE BOOK OF THE DECADE'Tim Flannery, former Australian of the Year'WOW. A HUGELY IMPORTANT AND ENJOYABLE BOOK THAT WILL RESTORE YOUR FAITH IN HUMANITY AND WHAT IS POSSIBLE'Sir Jeremy Farrar, Chief Scientist, World Health Organization'ALL AT ONCE BRAVE, FUNNY, SHOCKING AND DOWN TO EARTH' Aaron Smith, author of The RockFrom the sinking islands of the Pacific to epidemics and war zones in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, doctors like Lachlan McIver work in some of the most extreme environments on earth. In this thrilling memoir, Lachlan takes us right into the heart of the action as he treats patients ravaged by tropical diseases, manages drug-resistant infections in war wounds, delivers babies by the light of a head torch, and narrowly avoids being kidnapped by militia in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Inevitably, the pressure takes its toll as Lachlan is forced to reckon with the global crises devastating more and more lives every single day... Life and Death Decisions is an exhilarating account of one doctor facing profound, extraordinary challenges - and saving lives against all odds.

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Book SynopsisIn January 2020, leading epidemiologist Professor Mark Woolhouse learned of a new virus taking hold in China. He immediately foresaw a hard road ahead for the entire world, and emailed the Chief Medical Officer of Scotland warning that the UK should urgently begin preparations. A few days later he received a polite reply stating only that everything was under control. In this astonishing account, Mark Woolhouse shares his story as an insider, having served on advisory groups to both the Scottish and UK governments. He reveals the disregarded advice, frustration of dealing with politicians, and the missteps that led to the deaths of vulnerable people, damage to livelihoods and the disruption of education. He explains the follies of lockdown and sets out the alternatives. Finally, he warns that when the next pandemic comes, we must not dither and we must not panic; never again should we make a global crisis even worse. The Year the World Went Mad puts our recent, devastating, history in a completely new light.Trade Review ‘So many issues clarified and insights eloquently expressed. This will be an essential book.’‘A unique record of the pandemic year by an insider.’‘Vital reading for understanding where we’re currently at.’ * Stylist *Fascinating * The Times *Devastating * The Sunday Telegraph *A glorious example of great science communication. * Science Media Centre *A compelling read, comprehensively laying out the case against lockdowns alongside clear explanations of basic epidemiological concepts, and fresh insights from the front line of scientific advice during the pandemic. * The Scotsman *A confronting and fascinating look at the UK’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic * Monocle *

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Book SynopsisIn 1986, Susan Campbell made the chance discovery of a hitherto unknown garden diary. She spent the next 35 years researching its background before writing this book. The diary was written between 1838 and 1865 by the father of Charles Darwin, Doctor Robert Darwin and after his death in 1848 it was continued by his sister, Susan. It describes the horticultural and domestic activities at The Mount, a large house with extensive, beautiful gardens and pastures on the banks of the River Severn, in Shrewsbury. It was the home of the Darwin family from 1800 until Susan's death in 1866 and, in 1809, it was Charles's birthplace. Apart from revealing that Doctor Darwin made his garden available for several of Charles's early horticultural experiments (1838-1841) the diary describes all the plants that grew in this garden, whether ornamental and exotic, utilitarian or edible, as well as the keeping of cows and pigs, the exchanges of plants with neighbours and family, and occasional events of local importance.

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Book SynopsisIn this searing, honest memoir, a Black queer emergency-room nurse works the front lines of care during COVID-19.Britney Daniels is a Black, masculine-presenting, tattooed lesbian from a working-class background. For the last five years, she has been working as an emergency-room nurse. She began Journal of a Black Queer Nurse as a personal diary, a tool to heal from the day-to-day traumas of seeing too much and caring too much.Hilarious, gut-wrenching, and infuriating by turns, these stories are told from the perspective of a deeply empathetic, no-nonsense young nurse, who highlights the way race, inequality, and a profit-driven healthcare system make the hospital a place where systemic racism is lived. Whether it is giving one’s own clothes to a homeless patient, sticking up for patients of color in the face of indifference from white doctors and nurses, or nursing one’s own back pain accrued from transporting too many bodies as the morgues overflowed during the pandemic, Journal of a Black Queer Nurse reveals the ways in which care is much more than treating a physical body and how the commitment to real care—care that involves listening to and understanding patients in a deeper sense—demands nurses, especially nurses of color, must also be warriors.Trade Review“Britney Daniels' voice is one of the most important you will hear all year. This book is not only a testament to the resilience of our nation's hardest-working lifesavers but also a reminder of the essentiality of centering Black queer voices in our national discourse. Britney's greatest gift is the reminder that positivity, perseverance, empathy, and com-passion always prevail over the forces that try to divide and oppress, and that love is the universal truth that will lead each of us to find happiness.” —Jeremy Blacklow, former Director of Entertainment, GLAAD“Journal of a Black Queer Nurse reminds readers of the importance of centering the voices of Black women, and specifically those of Black queer women, as we share stories about the challenges we must work together to overcome. Equal parts personal narrative and sharing stories about the medical-industrial complex, Britney’s work highlights the power of love, the importance of inclusion, and the opportunities each of us has to interrogate and push past limiting, socially constructed boundaries that are designed to prevent us from bearing witness, finding comfort in who we are and how we move through the world, and telling our stories. I’m thankful for this offering and for Britney’s sharing of her gifts.” —Dr. David J. Johns, Executive Director, National Black Justice Coalition"There is no doubt that Journal of A Black Queer Nurse is timely on at least two fronts: reflecting on the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare profession, while illuminating the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality on a healthcare professional. However, this book is not only of import to nurses or to queer people because it so wonderfully explores a most universal story of what it is to be human in unprecedented times.” —Dr. Sharon L. Moore"Each vignette is processed down to its core elements, like journal entries; Daniels makes mention of the actual journals she kept while working during this time period, which is where the material for this book came from. Daniels has efficiently streamlined her writing, and these chapters tell many different stories, like memories, in little, distilled moments. From the hospital in Texas, where they are so short-staffed that Daniels is made to work twelve-hour shifts without a break, to the intoxicated and belligerent patients in Southern California who yell racial slurs at her, Daniels’ is consistently engaging, but also thoughtful. She constantly asks, would this have happened to me if I was not a Black woman? and often, the answer is no. This question animates the whole book, and as we learn more about her experiences, we see how the entire health system is peppered with inequity..."—Joanna Acevedo, Foglifter PressTable of ContentsPrologueChapter One: Where I BeganChapter Two: Stepping Out for the First TimeChapter Three: Not Too FarChapter Four: White Supremacy and Palm TreesChapter Five: “Can I Have a White Nurse?”Chapter Six: Million Dollar DilapidationChapter Seven: “She’s Not Crazy”Chapter Eight: “Is That a Roach?”Chapter Nine: The ReaperChapter Ten: “I Freed the Slaves”Epilogue

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Book SynopsisThis memoir follows the sixty-year meteorology career of Robert M. Atlas. As a young child, Robert M. Atlas would often look up at the sky, observe the clouds, and ask his parents questions about the weather. That early interest sparked a career in meteorology that took place during a period of rapid development in the field. Weather Forecaster to Research Scientist follows his decades-long career and his innovative research, which led to improvements in the understanding and prediction of extreme weather. Atlas’s journey begins with his start as an apprentice forecaster for the US Weather Bureau during a time when satellite meteorology and operational numerical weather prediction were just in their infancy. Weather Forecaster to Research Scientist also traces his experiences as an operational forecaster in the US Air Force, discusses his pioneering work on ocean surface winds using satellites, and describes his leadership of scientific organizations within NASA and NOAA as well as his experiences teaching at several universities. An engaging account of a distinguished career, this book will appeal to students, educators, weather forecasters, scientists, and weather enthusiasts alike.Table of ContentsForward; Preface; Chapter 1: Early years; Chapter 2: Weather officer in the U.S. Air Force; Chapter 3: Graduate study at New York University; Chapter 4: Research scientist at NASA GISS and GSFC; Photo Insert; Chapter 5: Director of NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory; Chapter 6: Teaching at colleges and universities; Chapter 7: Retirement; References; Appendix A: Career timeline; Appendix B: Publications of Robert Atlas

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Book SynopsisUSA TODAY BESTSELLER A poignant and thought-provoking memoir following one psychiatrist and four of her patients as they deal with the unspoken mental and physical costs of caring for others?perfect for fans of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone and The In-Between.For Dr. Jessi Gold, everything was absolutely fine?until it suddenly wasn?t. As an assistant professor, practicing psychiatrist, university wellness leader, regular media expert, and dedicated friend and family member, Jessi was used to being constantly busy. After all, people?her patients, colleagues, and loved ones?needed her, so who was she to say no to any opportunity to help, be that an extra therapy session, corporate wellness talk, or favor for a friend. She was a doctor, trained to serve, to put the needs of others before her own. But when Jessi is so mentally overwhelmed that she commits an unthinkable error during a patient session, she?s forced to reevaluate everything that the medical system has taught her. While reassessing her own complex relationship to the health-care industry, Jessi begins to examine it through the eyes of some of her healthcare worker patients?a thirty-something resident with OCD, a pregnant nurse suffering from PTSD, an aspiring medical student with crippling test anxiety, and an experienced ER physician who feels completely overwhelmed. In their discussions of burnout, perfectionism, empathy, and the emotional burden of working in health care, and through her own personal therapy sessions, Jessi recognizes that she is not alone in struggling to maintain her humanity, in a field that she chose because of its humanity in the first place. Expertly weaving research expertise with unforgettable stories and raw emotion, How Do You Feel? demonstrates the unbridled capacity that we as humans have for connecting, learning, and growing. At once deeply personal, but also utterly universal, it reminds us all that when caring for others, we first have to remember to care for ourselves.

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Book SynopsisThis is the memoir of one of the world's most effective health crusaders and his lifelong campaign to save lives around the globe. Author Derek Yach started out in a traditional way, at the World Health Organization, where he demonized Big Tobacco for causing the death of millions worldwide. Then, after engineering an international treaty to curb smoking around the world, he crossed the line. In an unorthodox move, he joined Pepsi to help its CEO transform the chips and soda behemoth into a more healthy company. The author's rationale was this: To save tens of millions of lives, you may have to go inside the enemy corporation to help it change. So when Philip Morris International (PMI) announced it was ready to switch from combustible cigarettes to smokeless ones, a move that could save untold lives, Yach made the most audacious gamble of his long career in global public health. Project Unthinkable is a biography embedded in several big themes: - Can a company that causes harm to human health change from the inside? - Can you cross the line and work with the opposition? - Will combustible cigarettes become history?Table of ContentsPrologue Chapter 1: Beginnings Chapter 2: Finding My Way Chapter 3: Leaving Home Chapter 4: Taking on Big Tobacco Chapter 5: The End of the Beginning Chapter 6: Treading Water Chapter 7: Opening Up a Can of Trouble Chapter 8: Inside Man at Pepsi Chapter 9: The Virtuous Cycle Chapter 10: In the Lair of the Enemy Chapter 11: The Battle Ahead

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Book SynopsisThis book is an enthusiastic account of Pierre Laszlo’s life and pioneering work on catalysis of organic reactions by modified clays, and his reflections on doing science from the 1960s to 1990s. In this autobiography, readers will discover a first-hand testimony of the chemical revolution in the second half of the 20th century, and the author’s perspective on finding a calling in science and chemistry, as well as his own experience on doing science, teaching science and managing a scientific career.During this period, Pierre Laszlo led an academic laboratory and worked also in three different countries: the US, Belgium and France, where he had the opportunity to meet remarkable colleagues. In this book, he recalls his encounters and collaborations with important scientists, who shaped the nature of chemistry at times of increased pace of change, and collates a portrait of the worldwide scientific community at that time. In addition, the author tells us about the turns and twists of his own life, and how he ended up focusing his research on clay based chemistry, where clay minerals were turned in his lab to catalysis of key chemical transformations. Given its breath, the book offers a genuine information on the life and career of a chemist, and it will appeal not only to scientists and students, but also to historians of science and to the general reader. Trade Review“A Life and Career in Chemistry is filled with names of scientists and other more or less remarkable persons whom Laszlo has met and interacted with during his long and varied career. … Laszlo’s autobiography is in many respects of interest to historians of twentieth-century chemistry … . the portrait of Laszlo himself, his life, and his career that this autobiography offers is very much as its author wants to be remembered.” (Helghe Kragh, Ambix, Vol. 69 (4), November, 2022)Table of ContentsSee attachments

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a captivating glimpse into the journey of a cardiac surgeon, illuminating the story of a small-town girl who, as an outsider, struggled to get a foothold in an intensely competitive field. Her eventual triumph serves as a poignant representation of an earlier generation of Indians post-Independence, showcasing their resilience through both triumphs and tribulations.

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Book SynopsisThere is no doubt that life is a bogus journey and it does not end well for any of us. However, join eye surgeon Pete Cackett on his eventful pathway through life and career in medicine and learn from his own unfortunate mishaps. Discover how it is possible to make your own journey less bogus, especially if you follow his advice and tips from his 'Hidden Curriculum'. This book is a celebration of life in all its glorious bogusness with plenty of humour and retro pop culture references along the way.This is a medical autobiography and is the first one which directly addresses the medical profession (doctors and medical students) and other allied health professionals. It covers many relevant issues and topics on working as a doctor, including those which many are reluctant to talk about such as private practice. It also includes advice gleaned from over 30 years in medicine as part of a 'Hidden Curriculum'. This guidance can be used by the reader to make changes to their own lives in order to create a happier and more successful existence.

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