Public health and preventive medicine Books

Book SynopsisQuiet as it’s kept inside the United States, the Cuban Revolution has achieved some phenomenal goals, reclaiming Cuba’s agriculture, advancing its literacy rate to nearly 100 percent—and remaking its medical system. Cuba has transformed its health care to the extent that this “third-world” country has been able to maintain a first-world medical system, whose health indicators surpass those of the United States at a fraction of the cost. Don Fitz combines his deep knowledge of Cuban history with his decades of on-the-ground experience in Cuba to bring us the story of how Cuba’s health care system evolved and how Cuba is tackling the daunting challenges to its revolution in this century. Fitz weaves together complex themes in Cuban history, moving the reader from one fascinating story to another. He describes how Cuba was able to create a unified system of clinics, and evolved the family doctor-nurse teams that became a model for poor countries throughout the world. How, in the 1980s and ‘90s, Cuba survived the encroachment of AIDS and increasing suffering that came with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and then went on to establish the Latin American School of Medicine, which still brings thousands of international students to the island. Deeply researched, recounted with compassion, Cuban Health Care tells a story you won’t find anywhere else, of how, in terms of caring for everyday people, Cuba’s revolution continues.Trade Review“This is the best written and most accurate work published in years about the history and recent achievements of Cuban health care. The book gives inspiration for people around the world concerned about the future of health care and health itself.”—Howard Waitzkin, Coordinating Editor, Health Care Under The Knife: Moving Beyond Capitalism For Our Health

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Book SynopsisTraumatic stress caused by violence, terror, natural disasters, political conflicts and poverty a partial list by far is a public health concern of alarming magnitude, affecting all. The long-term effects of exposure to these experiences, especially the concept of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has been studied extensively and used internationally. The investigation of questions about the universality of PTSD and its applicability across cultural boundaries yielded fascinating work on the ethno-cultural aspects of PTSD as well as its presentation in specific cultural groups. However, a gap in knowledge still remains in regards to the potential differences and variations in the meaning and perception of trauma, the impact of extreme adversity, and its resolution and management. It all falls outside the construct of PTSD and from the point-of view-of other cultures. This edited book addresses theoretical and practical issues central to the field of traumatic stress from diverse cultural perspectives and provides a valuable resource for a broad audience of researchers and clinicians. The purpose of this book is to draw attention to issues concerning trauma and culture that are outside of the current accepted psychiatric conceptualizations, especially PTSD. The chapters included in this volume represent carefully selected examples of topics. Some elucidate the multi-faceted and dynamic resources that cultures bring forth to the perception of trauma, adjustment, coping, and recovery efforts, while others shed light on the essential contribution of cultural factors to the understanding of trauma, needs and treatment. Our hope is that these examples can be generalized and applied to all work on trauma.

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Book SynopsisAward-winning New York Times reporter Donald G. McNeil, Jr. reflects on twenty-five years of covering pandemics?how governments react to them, how the media covers them, how they are exploited, and what we can do to prepare for the next one?in this ?fascinating, ferocious fusillade against humanity?s two deadliest enemies: disease and itself? (The Economist).For millions of Americans, Donald G. McNeil, Jr. was a comforting voice when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. He was a regular reporter on The New York Times?s popular podcast The Daily and told listeners early on to prepare for the worst. He?d covered public health for twenty-five years and quickly realized that an obscure virus in Wuhan, China, was destined to grow into a global pandemic rivaling the 1918 Spanish flu. Because of his clear advice, a generation of Times readers knew the risk was real but that they might be spared by taking the right precautions. Because of his prescient work, The New York Times won the 2021 Pulitzer Gold Medal for Public Service. The Wisdom of Plagues is ?must-reading for preparing us better for the next unavoidable epidemic? (Peter Piot, MD, co-discoverer of Ebola) as McNeil shares his account of what he learned over a quarter-century of reporting in over sixty counties. Many science reporters understand the basics of diseases?from how a virus works to what goes into making a vaccine. But very few understand the psychology of how small outbreaks turn into pandemics, why people refuse to believe they?re at risk, or why they reject protective measures like quarantine or vaccines. The COVID-19 pandemic was the story McNeil had trained his whole life to cover. His expertise and breadth of sources let him make many accurate predictions in 2020 about the course that a deadly new virus would take and how different countries would respond. By the time McNeil wrote his last New York Times stories, he had not lost his compassion?but he had grown far more stone-hearted about how governments should react. He had witnessed enough disasters and read enough history to realize that while every epidemic is different, failure was the one constant. Small case-clusters ballooned into catastrophe because weak leaders became mired in denial. Citizens refused to make even minor sacrifices for the common good. They were encouraged in that by money-hungry entrepreneurs and power-hungry populists. Science was ignored, obvious truths were denied, and the innocent too often died. In The Wisdom of Plagues, ?one of the most enlightening books on public health? (Lena Wen, MD), McNeil offers tough, prescriptive advice on what we can do to improve global health and be better prepared for the inevitable next pandemic.

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