The Engines of Hippocrates: From the Dawn of Medicine to Medical and Pharmaceutical Informatics

"We should not throw a stone to the authors for not having limited the subject of this book to the necessity of digital records running on computers for patients rightly waiting for a personalized healthcare. Rather, the reader will also enjoy the large spectrum of knowledge delivered through innumerable digressions hopefully made re-accessible through a generous index. Written with a witty journalistic style, this book lets itself read like a novel rich in unexpected developments."
—Jean Garnier, Editor-in-Chief, Biophysical Review

"In this book, Robson and Baek, both experts of the interface between medicine and computer, led the reader to a journey encompassing many disciplines. Though daunting at first, one cannot help appreciate the perspective from history, health, philosophy, economy, mathematics and IT. As history has shown, IT, along with many other drug discovery technologies, contributed to the golden age of the drug industry signified with the era of blockbuster drugs. In today's environment with the paucity of blockbuster drugs, one cannot help to wonder if drug discovery technologies including IT should be attenuated or extenuated.
This book could not be out at a more opportune time. Americans are now burdened with the crushing weight of healthcare cost. One of the cost-saving measures, recognized by both President Obama and the Congress, is digitization of medical records. In addition, this book also covers topics such as patent-based drug design, pharmacogenomics, medical vigilance, and many other gems. It is a tribute to the authors' remarkable breadth of knowledge and organizational skills to assemble them together. Anyone interested in health care, especially the ones interested in pharmaceutical informatics, would benefit from reading this book."
—Jie Jack Li