Description

In parts a whimsical and entertaining story, in others an informative guide by a knowledgeable and much-respected professional in his field, this highly readable portrayal of Alan Mills' life and adventures is told in an appealing tone, rooted in the history of the times and places where he has practised his craft. A son of Southern Africa, the author has enjoyed a privileged life of good fortune. He has worked in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), England, South Africa, Australia and Ireland. Pathology has been his life. It was how he earned a living, and in retirement has become his hobby. In his autobiography he shares the highs and lows of his own long and interesting career in pathology, in addition to a well-researched guide to medical history. A framework of great medical advances is linked to Nobel Laureates, with comments on their lives. The role of the pathologist in medical research is stressed. The author has traced the evolution of human beings, from earliest life forms through our ancestral 'African Eve' in East Africa to the present day. This development is coupled with genetic information relating to such things as oncogenes and how they relate to cancer, and other diseases. This enlightening book has an easy, chatty style, and is not without humour and a little poetry.