Thomas Hodgkin

by Louis R. Rosenfeld

Overview

Hodgkin's Disease. Most people have heard of it. Yet, very few know Thomas Hodgkin, the man, or the reason the disease was named after him. Dr. Louis Rosenfeld changes that in his searching biography of one of the most significant humanitarians of his time. His in-depth, chronological history unfolds against the backdrop of the social, medical, scientific, and educational changes that were occurring around Thomas Hodgkin in the nineteenth century.

Thomas Hodgkin led a life dedicated to the betterment of those around him. First and foremost a dedicated Quaker, his religious fervor ran deep and was apparent in everything he did. He actively participated in the leading social reform movements of his time. He was committed to medical practice reform and education. His opposition to slavery and the slave trade was so strong that he worked to develop settlements in Africa for freed slaves. His strong commitment to social justice for underdeveloped peoples found him also fighting for American Indian's rights when they were threatened by the British.

Thomas Hodgkin spent his life in the relentless pursuit of equality for the underprivileged and oppressed. Despite the fact that his integrity and consistency in human rights issues were anathema to the conventional wisdom of his time, he managed to make a difference. Dr. Rosenfeld captures the true Thomas Hodgkin like no one else ever has in this extraordinary biography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780819186331
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/26/1992
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	6.32(w) x 9.28(h) x 1.19(d)

About the Author

Louis Rosenfeld, Ph.D. is an associate professor of pathology at New York University Medical Center.

Editorial Reviews

This short but well-documented biography takes up the medical and social activities of a nineteenth-century English physician. Known today only for "his" disease, aka lymphadenoma, Hodgkin was a multifaceted individual. A staunch Quaker, he undertook medical training, practice, and investigative work as a duty to humankind. He also spoke and wrote at length against slavery and in behalf of minorities (Indians in North America, Maoris in New Zealand, and black Africans wherever they might be). Hodgkin's pioneering work in pathological anatomy and aortic insufficiency increased medical knowledge and improved medical practice. His efforts at teaching and hospital work, however, were hampered by his lack of diplomacy and by political favoritism. In his last years, Hodgkin became a traveling companion to Sir Moses Montefiore and his wife. Rosenfeld's book will help to make Hodgkin and his work better known, but libraries and individuals who have Amalie and Edward Kass' scholarly and readable "Perfecting the World: The Life and Times of Thomas Hodgkin" (1988) will not need it.

William Beatty