Review of Medicine and Mission

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Laura Britos
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Review of Medicine and Mission

Post by Laura Britos »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Medicine and Mission" by Robert Colledge.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Medicine and Missión by Robert Colledge is a biography that details the story of Thomas Richardson College. This man, a nineteenth-century doctor, joined the East India Company and served as a ship surgeon in what is now Guangzhou, China. This book tells the story of Robert Colledge's great-great-grandfather, giving a detailed account of his time as a pioneer doctor in China.

My favorite part about this story is how detailed it was. The amount of information it has shows that the author put a lot of effort into this book. From reading about Thomas' upbringing to his travels and his experiences, readers cannot help but feel like they are watching a documentary rather than reading a book since you can vividly picture the scenes that the author is describing. His narration is wonderful and the scenes readers get to read, although they will be shocking to readers, are breathtaking.

The only aspect that spellbound me was the intention that the author had when writing the book. He had no intention of hiding his great-great grandfather's past or erasing some chapters in his life that were not moral at all. But this also brings a new dimension to the story: it sets the exact timeline for the story, showcasing how different our understanding of medicine and morality is from the nineteenth century. By giving this account of some gruesome and sort of wicked aspects of a pioneer doctor, readers get to bask in what is a completely different ambiance from today's medicine. Nonetheless, at the end of the book, this aspect that I thought would interrupt my reading turned into a layer that made this narration even more special. 

In addition, another aspect that I enjoyed about the book was the importance the author gives to obtaining trustworthiness and checking the information to write the book. I cannot begin to imagine how hard and time-consuming the investigation for this book was. I truly believe that this book is perfect for those who enjoy a good page-turner that narrates a biography in all its glory. It is certainly suitable for those who enjoy historical books that are very detailed and descriptive. 

To conclude, I think that this story is absolutely interesting and enriching to see a new perspective of medicine and the trials and tribulations that pioneer doctors faced during the nineteenth century. I found the narration in this book delightful, and in addition, I found no grammatical errors which made me enjoy this book even more. I give this story 4 out of 4 stars. 

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Medicine and Mission
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WriteOn
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Post by WriteOn »

I'd like to read this book. Thank you for your comprehensive and honest review Ana Victoria2002. I enjoyed reading it.
He had no intention of hiding his great-great grandfather's past or erasing some chapters in his life that were not moral at all. But this also brings a new dimension to the story: it sets the exact timeline for the story, showcasing how different our understanding of medicine and morality is from the nineteenth century.
This aspect makes the book more interesting to me. If it reflects shameful attitudes and behaviors of the past, then it is more realistic.
Jatto Onimisi
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Post by Jatto Onimisi »

I love the part about Robert mentioning the unsavoury actions of the protagonist. It's a deviation from the common biographies where the protagonist is portrayed as glamorous and exemplary in every action.
Considering this protagonist is his forebear, shows his degree of honesty in storytelling. You have done a good job with this review.
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