Before relating my thoughts, I would like to preface this by stating that I am not accustomed to reading non-fiction regularly.

That being said Gabriel does a good job in relating scientific facts and data to the analysis and meaning of those facts. Whenever a broad or generalized statement is made, it is generally substantiated by references to the original artifacts or documents, such as the statement of Sumer's impressive military technology, followed by a reference to the Stele of the Vultures. Occasionally, a statement is even qualified by a sentence simply stating that there is not enough information to substantiate the claims claims.

Throughout the whole book I only have one qualm, although that may stem from my obsession with Egypt; there is a bias towards the culture of Rome. Obviously Rome did much with medicine and surgical procedure, however there is a palpable feeling before and after the chapter on Rome of the state's superiority in medicine. Subsequently, I got the feeling that the other cultures were being viewed as inferior or at least, as if they were second rate. However I would again like to reiterate that I have a love for Egyptian culture, possibly akin to that of Gabriel with Rome, and as such this is probably more a personal issue than that of a literary one.

The writing for the most part is fluid, solid, and logical, as well as organized very well by time and culture. There were moments in reading this that I felt bored, however I can't attribute this solely to the book on it's own, given my lack of reading non-fiction as well as the hours I generally read.

Overall I found it a good insight into the history of medicine, and I would probably recommend it to any pseudo-history buff with an interest in medicine, or for that matter anyone entering the medical field. ( )