Book review: The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity from Antiquity to the Present. Porter, R. (1997). Harper Collins, London: pp.831. £24.99 ISBN 0-002-15173-1 (hardback)
✍ Scribed by Annie Mitchell
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1998
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 78 KB
- Volume
- 8
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1052-9284
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
school-based samples (do early leavers maintain their sports involvement in the face of `competing' interests?), and the fact that some writers have claimed that youths are de¯ected from physical activities by the eects of adult organization, rather than the loss of interest in the activities themselves. Further, while the attempts at the theoretical modelling of participation are to be applaudedÐand the chapter is indeed a good coverage of existing ideas and extends theseÐthe fact that a process model is developed without some reference to the views of on processes and mechanisms in a wider socialization perspective seems an important omission.
In summing up my views on this text, it may be useful to record my wishes towards restructuring. Firstly, I would have liked to see more European references, given the book's initial claims. If Scanlan and Greendorfer are regarded as important names, Fasting (1987) and other European researchers' work is also worthy of mention. Second, in a book that is based on a painstaking methodology of collaborating with young people, I was disappointed to ®nd that nowhere in the text did `the voice of youth' sound out directly to provide some insights into their perspective. Third, when I came with anticipation to the last chapter, hoping for an overall interpretation or a further (universal) development and/or application of the proposed model (Chapter 9) or a more theoretical and less parochial analysis of sports policy (Chapter 10), instead all I found was a technical report of the research project, much of which I already knew from previous chapters. I would have preferred to read this as part of the appendices.
However, I appreciate the diculties the authors of this book have faced in translating a large research endeavour into a reasonably focused book. Therefore I recommend this text to anyone wishing to explore young people's involvement in sport. As a sports writer might comment about a soccer game: It was a hard fought match with a good opening period, though there were, at times, some gaps'' in defence and in mid®eld. The excitement built up as the game progressed. After a series of powerful, inventive attacks the game ®zzled out a little. Bringing on some European strikers could have enhanced the team's play. Nevertheless, many spectators (i.e. readers) will enjoy the team's eorts throughout'.