Zonkatron

The following table of contents is based on the revised and expanded edition of James Le Fanu’s “The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine.”

The book is structured chronologically and thematically, moving from the explosive successes of the mid-20th century to the stagnation Le Fanu perceives in contemporary practice.

Part I: The Rise (1935–1975)
The Twelve Definitive Moments
Chapter 1: The First Miracle: Sulfonamides and the conquest of the streptococcus.
Chapter 2: The Penicillin Story: Turning a laboratory curiosity into a global lifesaver.
Chapter 3: The Gift of Cortisone: The revolution in treating rheumatoid arthritis and inflammation.
Chapter 4: The Conquest of Polio: The battle between Salk and Sabin and the end of a terrifying epidemic.
Chapter 5: The Masterpiece of Surgery: The development of the heart-lung machine and open-heart surgery.
Chapter 6: Replacing the Hip: How Sir John Charnley revolutionized mobility for the elderly.
Chapter 7: The Transplantation of the Kidney: Overcoming the immunological barrier.
Chapter 8: The Intensive Care Unit: The double-edged sword of keeping the dying alive.
Chapter 9: Curing Childhood Cancer: The breakthrough in treating leukemia.
Chapter 10: The Triumph of the Pill: The medicalization of contraception.
Chapter 11: The New Genetics: The discovery of the structure of DNA and the birth of molecular biology.
Chapter 12: The Eradication of Smallpox: Medicine’s greatest public health victory.

Part II: The Fall (1975–Present)
The End of the Golden Age
Chapter 13: The Decline of Discovery: Why the pharmaceutical pipeline began to dry up.
Chapter 14: The Scourge of the New Maladies: The rise of chronic fatigue, depression, and autoimmune conditions.
Chapter 15: The Paradox of Progress: Why more spending and better technology haven’t led to better health.
The Two Great Errors
Chapter 16: The Social Theory: The rise of epidemiology and the controversial link between lifestyle and disease.
Chapter 17: The New Genetics (Part II): The failure of the Human Genome Project to deliver practical cures.

Part III: The Future of Medicine
The Philosophy of Healing
Chapter 18: The Mystery of Biology: Why life cannot be reduced to a simple digital code.
Chapter 19: The Limits of Medicine: A call for a return to clinical judgment and human-centric care.
Chapter 20: Reclaiming the Soul of Medicine: How to navigate the post-technological era.