The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7296 p517
24 April 2004

Useful reference source for all with an interest in the history of medicine

‘The Cambridge historical dictionary of disease’, edited by Kenneth F. Kiple. Pp xii+412. Price £19.95. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2003. ISBN 0 521 53026 1

This dictionary, which is not illustrated, is a work of reference, rather than something to read through. However, the 161 entries are of considerable interest and are arranged alphabetically, covering diseases from acquired immune deficiency syndrome through to yellow fever. Most disease entries are divided into three parts: a definition of the disease, a review of the disease process and a section on its known history. Each entry is attributed to a named contributor. The volume is well indexed. Although definitions and reviews of disease processes may be obtained from various sources, the historical commentary on each disease is a valuable source of information made readily accessible.

Apart from the many diseases that are familiar to us today, the dictionary touches on many largely forgotten areas of interest. For example, the English sweating sickness or sudor anglicus, first described in 1485 and followed by four further epidemics in the 16th century. In the British Isles, it would appear that the Scots, Welsh and Irish were not affected. Its cause is disputed and it has been suggested that the English population gradually acquired immunity.

As a source of reference, this book can be recommended to all who have an interest in the history of medicine, particularly lecturers or writers who may wish to include historical references when introducing a particular disease area.


John Hunt

John Hunt is a retired industrial pharmacist and a past president of the British Society for the History of Pharmacy