MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

This entry in the Milestones in Discovery and Invention series presents clear, if uninspired, stories of medical technology, supplemented by many anecdotes and resource information. Defining medical technology as ``inventions that put science to practical use,'' Yount (Twentieth-Century Women Scientists, 1995, etc.) presents information on the discovery or invention and development of anesthesia, antiseptics, X rays, blood transfusions, artificial and human organ transplants, and medical imaging techniques. Boxed features present useful and intriguing information but classify it too narrowly to be helpful. Another flaw is the often arbitrary inclusion of definitions in the main text, which chops up the discussion. An overview of the world of inventors and medical breakthroughs offers the instructive aspects of competition and ambition and shows the importance of observation and scientific experiment. Yount also treats controversial subjects with intelligence and balance. It's not immediately clear how the book might be used in the curriculum, but there is valuable and fascinating information for researchers here. (b&w photos and diagrams, index, not seen, notes, chronologies, further reading) (Nonfiction. 12-14)