By Barrie R. Cassileth. 340 pp. New York, W.W. Norton, 1998. $25. ISBN 0-393-04566-8. (Biomedical Ethics Reviews.) Edited by James M. Humber and Robert F. Almeder. 220 pp. Totowa, N.J., Humana Press, 1998. $49.50. ISBN 0-89603-440-2.
Unconventional medical care was once thought to be the exclusivedomain of the charlatan and the gullible minority. Currentlyreferred to as complementary and alternative medicine by itsproponents, its influence has now spread from the tabloid headlinesand talk shows to the examining rooms of even the most sophisticatedurban medical centers. The movement is driven by twin engines:aggressive marketing by "health-oriented" companies and thedemands of patients who are aware of the accomplishments ofscience and who seek cures for every health problem. David M.Eisenberg and colleagues estimated in the Journal that in 1990,the number . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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