The Investigative enterprise: experimental physiology in nineteenth-century medicine

Between 1770 and 1830, the boundaries ofmedical practice were redefined as new elitist forms arose and popular methods declined.The rise ofofficial medicine in France, especially its structure and content, has been thoroughly examined; however, the traditional medicine that was challenged and eventually displaced has been ignored.Matthew Ramsey, in this excellent analysis, the first of a two-volume study, has not only supplied abundant information about popular methods, but has shown that each type of practice was informed by the other.Beginning with a look at official medicine, Ramsey builds on the work of Toby Gelfand and Jacques Leonard to examine the nature ofand changes in the activities, income, distribution, and organization of surgeons and physicians.For the second part of the book, a wealth ofpreviously