The Breast Cancer Wars: Hope, Fear, and the Pursuit of a Cure in Twentieth-Century America »

Barron H. Lerner, M.D. is Angelica Berrie Gold Foundation Associate Professor of Medicine and Public Health at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, where he teaches internal medicine, medical history, and bioethics. He is the author of Contagion and Confinement: Controlling Tuberculosis Along the Skid Road as well as articles in professional journals and publications such as The Washington Post. He lives with his wife and two children in Westchester County, New York.

Aimed at breast cancer patients, their families, and clinicians, this text presents a history of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in twentieth century America. Much of the book focuses on the combination of early detection and radical surgery. The volume concludes with a discussion of the recent controversy over the efficacy of mammograms for lowering mortality rates. A practicing physician, Lerner teaches at Columbia University. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Lancet

Lerner invokes US cultural attributes as part of his explanation and alludes to different histories in other countries, but does not pursue the question of national styles in depth. To do so would be a topic for another book. What we have now is a fascinating, well-told tale with important lessons for scientists, clinicians, politicians, and patients.