This is an absolute niche book. It was a little dry for me. I do appreciate the opportunity to read it. For that, thank you

I was very excited for this book. I am usually drawn to non-fiction books like this. This was a little too dense and dry at times for my liking.

lovely study on ancient texts and the exploration of medicine. Some sections felt dense but overall very readable. Accessible and interesting for exploring the ancient world. May not be for everyone but is worth a read if youre curious about the perspective this author shares.

Another book that is interesting, well written, and incredibly well researched when it comes to the history of Greek life and culture. I am a fan of the history of medicine and the history of Greece so this was a book that I couldn't wait to get my hands on and purchase for our library shelves.

I would 8.25/10 recommend this book. There are some incredibly dry parts, but I come to expect that with certain subject areas in nonfiction. Overall I learned a lot and I think this book is a good one that many people should take the time to read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this!

This was terrific! I learned so much. The author was new to me. The writing was so good. This was a very engaging read. (Maybe not for the faint of heart though...). This was well done. Highly recommended. I think everyone should read this - you will look at your doctors differently! There are so many wrong assumptions made about the history of medicine. This work will go a long way towards correcting this!

The Invention of Medicine by Robin Lane Fox is well-written and insightful. It's packed with information, history and philosophy. I found myself constantly googling and taking notes. I certainly learned a lot but was sometimes overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information in this book. I'd say it's not the best book for the general reader or somebody who doesn't know much about the ancient Greeks yet (aka me).

I really wanted to like this book but I had to DNR it when the author kept saying that Greece invented philosophy and that neighboring civilizations didn't have it. If the author meant in regard to medicine, this should have been made clear. I went back and reread the passages to make sure I hadn't misunderstood, but that's how it read to me. I tried to keep reading but that thought lingered and clouded my entire judgment of the rest of the book, which is not something you want to happen to a reader. I was genuinely interested in this topic but was put off by those one or two sentences.

This was super dry but it was very informational. It was a great way to learn about the origins of modern western medicine. It talks about an angle of the Ancient world that is not normally covered.

This is the kind of engaging cross-disciplinary work that will be very helpful for my students and my community college's library. We have a strong nursing program and many of the nursing students take my philosophy class and do some research on classical ideas of the body, medicine, and natural philosophy. Will place an order for the college library and the public library as well.

I had to DNF this read at 26% as it just wasn't what I was excepting at all - it was incredibly dry and it didn't capture my attention or interest me which is never the case with medical history reads as it is definitely my favourite topic for non-fiction. Unfortunately it was quite disappointing - apologies for the DNF!

I learned a lot about the history of Western medicine in this book. However, I think it's too long and not that direct to the point for my liking. It is a great book for readers who are interested to know more about this topic though.

Well written and very thorough work. While I respect the erudition of the author, I have to admit that I was a little misled by the book's title. It is rather a study of ancient texts, medical and other, than a history of the medicine itself. I think it will be a good choice for people with a keen interest in ancient Greek and a deeper knowledge of this subject.

Thanks to the publisher, Perseus Books/Basic Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

A gasping and powerful book. This book was something that everybody should read if they love Ancient Greeks. It’s perfect entertaining reading and it’s extremely beneficial for people. Fiction books are great to escape the dark really of the world but nonfiction like this one is great to learn something great and power.
The author know very well philosopher’s ideas.

I am recommending this book.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me ARC.

The Invention of Medicine is a thorough study of medicine in the times of the ancient Greeks. Starting with portrayals in Homer's Iliad, it captures you with its exhaustively researched content. The origins of Hippocrates and the Hippocratic Oath come to life with Robin Lane Fox's examination. It can feel overwhelming and too academic, but this niche topic can be enjoyed by anyone, even if they are not familiar with medicine or ancient Greece. The difficult part to get through is the examination of the Epidemics books, as it can be dry, but it's good reading.

Robin Lane Fox is a genius at interpreting Ancient Greece, and his latest book is inspiring and enlightening. In a masterful analysis, he shows how the practice of medicine essentially began in the same century that the Greeks invented democracy, narrative history, theatrical comedy and tragedy. Hippocrates is known as the father of medicine, and it is remarkable that his approach still establishes the bedrock principles practiced by doctors today. Lane Fox analyzes what is known about Hippocrates, and how the core texts named for him intersect with and enrich the culture of Ancient Greece. Lane Fox’s writing is accessible and engaging. For me, it was a surprise to learn that “First, do no harm” is paraphrased language, and that the Hippocratic Oath does not actually include those words. Overall, Lane Fox places Greek inventiveness in context, beautifully and skillfully.

Even someone who knows nothing about the ancient Greek world will probably have heard of the Hippocratic Oath that doctors still have to take. This academic, and admittedly quite dense at times, book explores the legacy of Hippocrates and the growth and influence of Greek medicine around the world. Going back to the injuries mentioned in Homer, then on to Hippocrates himself and the first case studies as we would recognise them, the work ranges across many aspects of Greek daily life and culture and is a treasure trove of interesting facts and figures. I particularly enjoyed the case studies as they made these long dead people come alive and feel very human in spite of the centuries that separate them from us. The author is an erudite historian and it’s no surprise that this is an worthy and erudite tome, which sometimes went above my head – as I am neither erudite nor an historian. Nevertheless, I got a lot from it and although it’s probably not a book for the general reader, it’s still written clearly and accessibly and gives a real insight into ancient Greek life. Definitely worth the effort involved to learn more about the origins of modern medicine.

This is an exhaustively researched and well written book, but it's more of a niche work than the description suggests.

Fox has a narrow focus on Hippocrates and the Hippocratic corpus. If you're into ancient Greek history, you'll be in your glory. He discusses the shift of healing from craft to philosophy, but somehow it feels more like the story of a particular social shift in ancient Greek social thought than a book about medicine.

While the book wasn't for me, I still found parts of it quite interesting and I can think of more than one friend who will love to get a copy.

Extremely dry, although interesting at points. I would have appreciated more anecdotal storytelling - but it is likely meant to not be that kind of book. That said, it's definitely a resource, brings some unique perspective to the Greek philosophers and early medicine, which I found interesting.

This is a great for anyone who is curious about the origins of Western Medicine. The author obviously is passionate about ancient Greece and well known philosopher's ideas. Well written and insightful.

Thanks to Netgalley, Robin Lane Fox and Perseus Basic Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 12/8/20

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.
<b>OMG!</b>
I have never EVER been so excited about a non-fiction book. I am incredulous myself at how much I have loved this book.

<b>The writing, omg! I can barely contain my own delight.</b>

The author is not being ominous. He dosen`t derail from the matter at hand, he goes straight to the point he previously made. And there are a lot of examples!

<u>But, I am getting way ahead of myself.</u>

So, this is a book that talks mainly about the <i>Ancient Greeks</i>. They were among the first to have something that would translate in modern terms as “doctors” and “medicines”. That is not to say that there weren`t healers outside of ancient Greece`s aria. There were healers in <i>Babylon</i> and also in <i>Egipt</i>, but they did not leave behind a treatise, nor a corpus of written testimonials from doctors or patiences.

The Greeks did that in with what was to be called the <i>Hippocratic Corpus</i>. I would just love to give you some quotes, but as I understood, that is not really allowed as the book is not yet published.

<b>But, God!</b>

It is a really entertaining reading. The Greeks did not have the terminology that we have nowadays to name causes. For example, they did not see the pulse as being of any importance when consulting a patient. However, they followed patterns in things like urine`s color or dreams or fits of anger or mumblings.

They observed things happening in their society and they tried to observe their manifestation. It is just fascinating to follow how they described malaria or mumps.

The doctors were exclusively male. There comes an entire game when you read what they thought about the female organism. What produced the period or what was the connection between the breast milk and the menstrual blood.

Or you`ll find about exhibitionists and Homer`s knowledge in medical practice.
You have to give it a shot. It is not a try-harder book.