Alcohol in Medical Practice (1925, first edition)
Courtenay Weeks' study of the changing attitudes to alcohol in the medical profession
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
First edition. Hardback in dustwrapper. 19 × 12.5cm, 186pp.
Full title: Alcohol in Medical Practice: With a Chapter on the Evolution of Medical Opinion
The author of this rare medical text was a physician, surgeon, and temperance advocate, and the book looks at how alcohol changed from being a routine medical therapeutic to a substance recognized for its clinical risks and limited therapeutic value. Weeks systematically challenged the historical medical belief that alcohol acted as a central nervous system or cardiac stimulant, drawing on physiological research to demonstrate that alcohol acts primarily as a depressant and narcotic.
Chapters: I. Introduction, II. A review of the facts: Some contrasts and a suggestion, III. Alcohol in medicine generally, IV. Alcohol in circulatory disease, V. Alcohol in the treatment of pneumonia, VI. Alcohol as a food and gastric adjuvant, VII. Alcohol and diseases of children , VIII. Alcohol in some surgical and other conditions, IX. Conclusions, List of Appendices, The Evolution of Medical Opinion.
Condition
Whilst the book remains in strong readable condition, there are two pinpricks to the front boards (perhaps a doctor getting annoyed whilst waiting for their G&T). There is dark spotted foxing to the page edges and margins. The wrapper is rubbed to the edges and tanned to the spine. However, this remains a scarce medical book that is not often offered for sale.
As of July 2026, books remain duty-free. The price of the book incurs no extra US import fees.
Price
£40.00
