A compelling and informative book。 The Pursuit of Perfection engagingly explores the growing number of biomedical means that serve the long-standing eagerness of Americans to sustain their powers, sexual and otherwise。 Estrogen therapy, testosterone injections, plastic surgery, growth hormone infusions, and, around the corner, genetic enhancements?the Rothmans cover them all, attending appreciatively yet critically to the science, its medical applications, and the cultural and commercial forces that encourage their use。
Daniel Kevles, Stanley Woodward Professor of History, Yale University
This authoritative and compelling chronicle of twentieth-century medical enhancements is a must-read for anyone who thinks government regulation or professional oversight can effectively discourage Americans and at least some of our physicians from embracing dangerous attempts to genetically improve our bodies and alter our biological fates。