Rockefeller Money, the Laboratory, and Medicine in Edinburgh 1919-1930: New Science in an Old Century (review)

In chapters 1 and 2-"Medical Revolutions" and "Medical Cultures"-Lawrence sketches the background to the period covered by the book, dealing with themes such as the distinctions between routine and research in clinical work and the changing face of academic medicine. Central to this clash were such issues as Rockefeller's desire to create a "true university clinic," the concept of full-time academic chairs, the right to private practice, the relationship between bedside and laboratory medicine, and the reluctance of some clinicians to acknowledge the laboratory practitioners.