Deciphering Global Epidemics: Analytical Approaches to the Disease Records of World Cities, 1888-1912 (review)

monizing psychoanalysis as the villain of the piece, the Shapiros stirred up a arestorm of acrimony. However, their approach released parents of Tourette’s patients from the closet of guilt and made it possible for them to be more effective in helping each other and their offspring. Haloperidol turned out to be a mixed blessing because of unpleasant side effects, but better organic therapies continued to be developed as clinical science improved, and controversy focused more precisely on the details of the neurological basis for Tourette’s. A Cursing Brain? presents this history with authority. Kushner’s historical detective work, his understanding of the science, and the balance with which he presents the controversies make his book an exemplar of good practice in the history of science. It is highly recommended for its methodology, its literary quality, and the stern lessons that it provides for anyone brave enough to navigate the shoals of clinical research.