Adventures of a Female Medical Detective
In Pursuit of Smallpox and AIDS
$44.15
- Hardcover
144 pages
- Release Date
14 May 2016
Summary
In 1974, a young doctor arrived at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with one goal in mind: to help eradicate smallpox. The only woman physician in her class in the Epidemic Intelligence Service, a two-year epidemiology training program, Mary Guinan soon was selected to join India’s Smallpox Eradication Program, which searched out and isolated patients with the disease. By May of 1975, the World Health Organization declared Uttar Pradash smallpox-free. During her barrier-crossing career, Dr. Guinan met arms-seeking Afghan insurgents in Pakistan and got caught in the cross fire between religious groups in Lebanon. She treated some of the first AIDS patients and served as an expert witness in defense of a pharmacist who was denied employment for having HIV-leading to a landmark decision that still protects HIV patients from workplace discrimination. Randy Shilts’s best-selling book on the epidemic, And the Band Played On, features her AIDS work.In Adventures of a Female Medical Detective, Guinan weaves together twelve vivid stories of her life in medicine, describing her individual experiences in controlling outbreaks, researching new diseases, and caring for patients with untreatable infections. She offers readers a feisty, engaging, and uniquely female perspective from a time when very few women worked in the field. Occasionally heartbreaking, sometimes hilarious, Guinan’s account of her pathbreaking career will inspire public health students and future medical detectives-and give all readers insight into that part of the government exclusively devoted to protecting their health.
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781421419992 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1421419998 |
| Author: | Mary Guinan, Anne D. Mather |
| Publisher: | Johns Hopkins University Press |
| Imprint: | Johns Hopkins University Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 144 |
| Release Date: | 14 May 2016 |
| Weight: | 295g |
| Dimensions: | 16mm x 140mm x 216mm |
| Audience Age: | 18 |

Critics Review
In Adventures of a Female Medical Detective, Guinan weaves together twelve vivid stories of her life in medicine, describing her individual experiences in controlling outbreaks, researching new diseases, and caring for patients with untreatable infections. She offers readers a feisty, engaging, and uniquely female perspective from a time when very few women worked in the field. Occasionally heartbreaking, sometimes hilarious, Guinan’s account of her path breaking career will inspire public health students and future medical medical detectives-and give all readers insight into that part of the government exclusively devoted to protecting their health. American Medical Women’s Association Journal From the comfort of your sofa or chair, there’s nothing quite like a good adventure. But Hemingway, Roosevelt, Heyerdahl, Peary, you can put them aside after you’ve read Adventures of a Female Medical Detective. Author Mary Guinan, PhD, MD, is a true pioneer, and the stories she tells of her early career are jaw-dropping… In every job-related battle she fought, Guinan’s tenacity is impressive and empowering. Bookworm Sez … a rip-roaring read… As a ‘medical detective’, Guinan presents a series of case studies in explicit homage to super-sleuth Sherlock Holmes. Nature A punchy whodunnit is backed with plain talk of misogyny. Times Higher Education Light-hearted and easy to read…Guinan’s stories embody the modesty and humor inherent in the culture of epidemiology as practiced by the Epidemiologic Intelligence Service (EIS) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention … a frank and illuminating look at how scientists - female scientists in particular - actually work to combat disease. The Washington Post
Mary Guinan
Mary Guinan, PhD, MD, was the founding dean of the School of Community Health Sciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and is now professor emerita. She was the first woman to serve as the chief scientific advisor to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Anne D. Mather was the managing editor of the CDC newsletter, the MMWR, during the years when smallpox was eradicated and AIDS was discovered.
Returns
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.



