Adventures of a Female Medical Detective: In Pursuit of Smallpox and AIDS

Mary Guinan was a disease detective with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Epidemic Intelligence Service. She was selected to join India's Smallpox Eradication program and traveled to remote villages to isolate smallpox cases and vaccinate all uninfected persons within a ten-mile radius. She was one of the first medical detectives on the ground in San Francisco at the start of the AIDS crisis and served as an expert witness in a landmark decision that still protects HIV patients from workplace discrimination.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 144 pages
\n Publication date: 03 August 2021
\n Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
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A captivating and exhilarating read, "Adventures of a Female Medical Detective" takes readers on a journey through the remarkable life of Dr. Mary Guinan, a trailblazing physician who defied societal norms and pursued her dreams despite facing numerous obstacles. Fresh out of college in the 1960s, Guinan's aspiration was to become an astronaut, driven by her passion for space exploration. However, she soon discovered that NASA's astronaut program was not recruiting women. Undeterred, Guinan chose a different path and pursued medical school, ultimately becoming a disease detective with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Epidemic Intelligence Service.

Selected to join India's Smallpox Eradication program, Guinan embarked on a mission to isolate smallpox cases in remote villages and vaccinate all uninfected persons within a ten-mile radius. Her tireless efforts paid off, and by May 1975, the World Health Organization declared Uttar Pradesh smallpox-free. Throughout her career, Guinan encountered a range of challenging and dangerous situations. She met arms-seeking Afghan insurgents in Pakistan and found herself caught in the crossfire between religious groups in Lebanon. She was one of the first medical detectives on the ground in San Francisco at the onset of the AIDS crisis, providing crucial assistance and expertise.

Guinan's contributions to public health are widely recognized, and her story has been featured in Randy Shilts's best-selling book "And the Band Played On" and the HBO movie of the same name. In "Adventures of a Female Medical Detective," Guinan weaves together twelve vivid stories of her life in medicine, detailing her individual experiences in controlling outbreaks, researching new diseases, and caring for patients across the globe. Her account is occasionally heartbreaking, but also filled with humor and resilience.

Through her journey, Guinan inspires public health students and future medical detectives, showcasing the critical role that physicians play in protecting the health of communities. She provides insight into the government's exclusive dedication to safeguarding public health, highlighting the challenges and rewards of a career in medicine. "Adventures of a Female Medical Detective" is a must-read for anyone interested in medicine, history, or the pursuit of dreams against all odds.

\n Weight: 208g\n
Dimension: 218 x 139 x 14 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781421439815\n \n