Book: First Patients
Author: Rod Tanchanco
Genre: Medical NonFiction
Review Copy: Reedsy Discovery
Available at: Amazon.in
Recommended: Must Read
The pandemic years have re-instilled curiosity and questions about discovering treatments and vaccines. The book – First Patients by Rod Tanchanco – arrives at an opportune time to quench this curiosity. Rod has compiled a set of 10 stories around various events that led to fascinating and life-changing medical discoveries. From smallpox to AIDs, yellow fever to mold, these carefully selected stories talk about accidental deaths and accidental studies that changed the course of medical history.
The writing is impeccable and takes you back to the time of the incidents. The tone and texture of the stories are engaging and relevant to the timelines of several scientific breakthroughs. A storehouse of information, this book reflects meticulous research with utmost passion for the subject. The writer’s enthusiasm and fascination are evident.
We see how the world of sciences is not only plagued by doubt and dissing of ideas but also by infighting, jealousy, and lobbying. Maybe discoveries benefitting humans would have arrived earlier and with more precision if all had the interest of humanity foremost. While many erudite men clamor for accolades, actual heroes are the commoners who either come across discoveries or are the “First Patients” oft sacrificed on the table of science. Between human avarice and selfless dedication, the population of Earth has survived medical odds.
Rod says in the preface that he wrote this book with “enthrallment, awe, and disbelief that swept me as I probed the ordeal of real people caught in unique medical dilemmas.” There are no other appropriate words to rephrase why one must read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book because I like to read about works of science and medicine. Even if you know all these stories, the depth and clarity of Rod’s narrative make the book a keepsake. Within each page, you will gain new insights into the field of medical care and knowledge. The book fills the gap by retelling “stories on the patients behind medical milestones” in the last three hundred years.
Blue Pen Strokes 