Books for Troubled Times
March 27, 2020
Jean E. Thomson Black— Dear Yale University Press Friend, Our mission at Yale University Press is to publish books that, among other goals, stimulate public debate and enhance cultural life…. READ MORE
Category: Health & Medicine
Cuba’s Contribution to Combating COVID-19
March 12, 2020
Helen Yaffe— COVID-19 surged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December 2019, and by January 2020 it had hit Hubei province like a tidal wave, swirling over China… READ MORE
Mercury in Fish
February 20, 2020
Cailin O’Connor and James Owen Weatherall— Elemental mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature. Aristotle called it “quicksilver,” a term that captures its strange beauty. But… READ MORE
Coronavirus and Autocracy
February 5, 2020
Frank M. Snowden— Some features of “Wuhan virus” are now apparent. In early December it began its career as a human disease after a “spillover” from its natural animal reservoir—possibly… READ MORE
My Doctor Told Me the Cost of the Appointment . . . Give or Take $200!
January 13, 2020
Peter A. Ubel— I had a persistent skin condition, and my dermatologist thought I should see someone with more experience caring for that kind of lesion. So, I went to… READ MORE
Nature’s Remedies: The Environmental Impact of Chinese Medicine in the Global Medical Marketplace
November 25, 2019
Tamara Venit Shelton— Nearly three years ago, on January 18, 2017, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the World Health Organization and presented a traditional bronze statue used to identify acupuncture… READ MORE
The Health Care Debate and the Perils of Medicine for Profit
November 20, 2019
Frank M. Snowden— Health care is key in the forthcoming US election, with polls indicating that the American people regard the issue—in tandem with the economy—as their top priority. Voters are… READ MORE
What Got Antivaxxers to Vax in New York City
November 14, 2019
Richard Robb— In fall 2018, measles returned to New York City. It was hardly surprising, given the alarmingly widespread resistance to vaccination. According to a recent survey, 2% of Americans believe… READ MORE
Remembering (and Forgetting) Epidemics
August 9, 2019
Kevin Siena— Every year my undergraduates are surprised to learn that 50-100 million people died a century ago during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918–20. We can probably thank the… READ MORE
What Happened to Mescaline?
August 6, 2019
Mike Jay— In the current psychedelic renaissance, the original psychedelic is conspicuous by its absence. Amid all the buzz around LSD, psilocybin, DMT, ketamine and MDMA, and their potential for… READ MORE
Space Day Reading List 2024