Unwell: What Makes a Disease a Disease?

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Unwell: What Makes a Disease a Disease?
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Mike McRae
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:1
Dimensions(mm): Height 226,Width 153
Category/GenrePopular science
ISBN/Barcode 9780702260315
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher University of Queensland Press
Imprint University of Queensland Press
Publication Date 3 September 2018
Publication Country Australia

Description

In a world where illness seems to be everywhere, where does failing biology stop and personal responsibility begin? Nostalgia used to be a killer nervous condition. Emotional women were once treated with a good orgasm, left-handed folk were beaten to be turned 'right', and rotten teeth pulled to cure the mentally unwell. Just who made these diseases 'diseases' anyway? And what makes us think we understand any better today? Unwell is a fascinating and insightful exploration of the ever-changing nature of illness. Using humour, historical anecdotes, scientific research and personal stories, McRae illuminates the power of disease and medical diagnoses to define who we are and how we live. In a time when extreme violence is blamed on poor mental health, when people suffer for want of health insurance, and research dollars depend on sharp marketing campaigns, understanding the social and cultural nature of disease is vital for our wellbeing - and the wellbeing of our community.

Author Biography

Mike McRae started his science career more than twenty ago in a hospital medical laboratory. With a passion for education he took to teaching science in London's east, followed by a year entertaining children across Australia with Questacon's Science Circus. Mike has been writing science for over a decade, working with the CSIRO, ABC and the Australian Museum to produce educational materials, to inform, and to entertain. Today he writes for the popular online news service ScienceAlert, and contributes regularly to a variety of science news and education publications. Mike is the author of Tribal Science- Brains, Beliefs & Bad Ideas (UQP).