Emergency Contraception correction 1476 n engl j med 350;14 www.nejm.org april 1, 2004 profiles in cardiology Edited by J. Willis Hurst, C. Richard Conti, and W. Bruce Fye. 514 pp., illustrated. Mahwah, N.J., Clinical Cardiology Publishing, 2003. $69.50. ISBN 0-615-12084-9. n 1985, j. willis hurst suggested that a short biographical and historical profile of a major contributor to the understanding and treat- ment of heart disease be included in the monthly issues of the journal Clinical Cardiology, of which C. Richard Conti is the editor-in-chief. Profiles in Car- diology reprints more than 200 of these profiles in a chronological arrangement that covers more than half a millennium, from Antonio di Paolo Benivi- eni (1443–1502), an early proponent of clinical– pathological correlation by means of autopsy, to A. John Camm (1947–). Many of the profiles of ear- ly physicians were written by W. Bruce Fye, a skilled clinician and historian, and the book contains con- tributions by a large number of other writers who are historically oriented, nearly all them physicians. This book belongs on the shelf of anyone work- ing in cardiovascular medicine or surgery who rec- ognizes and appreciates the importance of our past. It complements the often short biographical sketch- es that introduce the reprints of original, milestone articles in Classics of Cardiology (now expanded to five volumes by Krieger Publishing, Malabar, Fla.). In contrast to a collection of classic works, Profiles in Cardiology is both by physicians and about physi- cians, which is its strength and its weakness. There is no better or more convenient single source for brief, two-to-three-page biographical sketches of our predecessors, often with references to primary and secondary sources. Nearly every profile is ac- companied by a portrait (a notable exception being that of Allan Burns, who in 1809 wrote the first book on cardiology in English and of whom no por- trait is known to exist). Perhaps Ralph Waldo Emerson was correct, in saying that “there is properly no history, only biog- raphy”; Profiles in Cardiology describes the evolution of cardiology as a series of individual accomplish- ments by “great men” and also a few “great wom- en.” The story of that evolution as presented in this book is not a developmental history of concepts but, rather, a collection of lives that are linked by dedi- cation to the study of heart disease. This is a refresh- ing anachronism in the present era of more formal social historiography of medicine, but it does have limitations. Although the order of the profiles is chronolog- ical, they are far more likely to be examined indi- vidually than read sequentially. It would have been useful therefore to have a topical index that would allow a reader interested in Heberden and angina, for example, to follow the evolution of the con- cept through Hunter, Jenner, Parry, and Burns or lead a reader interested in auscultation from Laën- nec to Forbes, Hope, Stokes, Skoda, and Flint. The essays are generally of high quality and usually avoid the tendency to view the past only through current understanding and current definitions of disease. Eccentricities in these essays are apparent and excusable. There is an understandable tendency to- ward hagiography when physicians write about our heroes. A minority of the profiles focus inordi- nately on credit for earliest descriptions and histor- ical priority for eponyms. It is a bias of mine that notables should be dead before they are included in this type of collection, so as to allow time for scien- tific and historical perspectives to emerge and to avoid the inclusion of overly celebratory essays that are written by students or colleagues. Overall, dis- tinguished living clinicians and investigators make up about 20 percent of the profiles in this series. Because the profiles continue to appear in Clinical Cardiology, a second volume or enlarged second edition of this collection can be expected — and welcomed — in the future. Paul Kligfield, M.D. Weill Medical College of Cornell University New York, NY 10021 Book Reviews Copyright ©2004 Massachusetts Medical Society. Emergency Contraception (November 6, 2003;349:1830-5). On page 1830, the statement in line 4 of the second paragraph under the heading “The Clinical Problem” should have read “was associ- ated with a 24 percent probability that a conception would lead to successful pregnancy,” rather than “was associated with an 8 per- cent risk of pregnancy,” as printed. On page 1830, the statement in line 4 of the paragraph under the heading “The Yuzpe Regimen” should have read “available by prescription (Preven, Gynétics),” rath- er than “available by prescription (Preven, Roche),” as printed. i correction The New England Journal of Medicine Downloaded from nejm.org at CARNEGIE-MELLON UNIV on April 5, 2021. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2004 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.