Two world-leading doctors reveal the true state of modern medicine and
how doctors are letting their patients down.
In Hippocrasy, rheumatologist and epidemiologist Rachelle Buchbinder and
orthopaedic surgeon Ian Harris argue that the benefits of medical
treatments are often wildly overstated and the harms understated. That
overtreatment and overdiagnosis are rife. And the medical system is not
fit for purpose: designed to deliver health care not health.
This powerful exposé reveals the tests, drugs and treatments that
provide little or no benefit for patients and the inherent problem of a
medical system based on treating rather than preventing illness. The
book also provides tips to empower patients - do I really need this
treatment? What are the risks? Are there simpler, safer options? What
happens if I do nothing? Plus solutions to help restructure how medicine
is delivered to help doctors live up to their Hippocratic Oath.
'One of the hardest things for a doctor to do ... is nothing. This
superb book explains how in medicine and surgery less is often not just
more, it's closer to the oath we're all supposed to practise by.' -
Norman Swan, award-winning producer and broadcaster of the Health
Report and Coronacast
'This eye-opening and enthralling book on the medical and moral
hazards which beset the health profession is a must-read for patients
and practitioners alike. From 'tooth-fairy science' to medical disasters
to the inflated business world of medicine, Hippocrasy is a profoundly
thought-provoking and compelling work that challenges our perception of
the practice of modern medicine.' - Kate McClymont AM, award-winning
investigative journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald/The Age
'Doctors are educated to do good. Yet, as the commercial imperatives
of the medical industrial complex tighten their grip, doctors are
becoming more and more worried that they are inflicting harm rather than
creating benefit. This book is for them and, perhaps even more
importantly, for their patients. The road to hell is paved with good
intentions: read Hippocrasy and turn back.' - Iona Heath CBE, former
President, The Royal College of General Practitioners
'About half of us in advantaged countries are now patients or
'providers', or both, and a third of clinical interventions are futile
at best. Seeking health is daunting and we could benefit from a guide.
Rachelle Buchbinder and Ian Harris have provided such with this
volume.' - Nortin M Hadler, author of The Last Well Person, The
Citizen Patient and Worried Sick, Emeritus Professor of Medicine and
Microbiology/Immunology, University of North Carolina
'A timely book from two leading doctors. Increasingly, the healthy are
re-defined as having 'predisease' and drawn into questionable
investigations and monitoring programmes. The book's core message is
that medicine's hubris and a creeping scientism has come to overshadow
the doctor's commitment to care for and comfort their patients and,
above all, do no harm. It is time to step back from the brink and
revisit the founding principles and core values of our profession.' -
Trish Greenhalgh OBE, Professor of Primary Care Research, University of
Oxford
