Fringe Medicine

By Brian Inglis

A controversial classic, Brian Inglis’ Fringe Medicine provides a bold introduction to a spectrum of unorthodox therapies. Originally published in 1964, it ushered in the modern era of patient advocacy, laying the foundations for today’s wellness movement. The author’s campaign laid out options for desperate patients ill-served by conventional therapies and determined to recapture their health.

Fifty-four years on, popular interest in alternative medicine and wellness stand at all-time highs. Inglis’ work has remarkably withstood the test of time in many ways, with his warnings of antibiotic resistance being exceptionally prescient. And whilst in other areas he may have gone too far (the “black box,” used in the technique of radiesthesia, has faded from view), nonetheless the fact remains that patient/doctor relations were forever changed by Inglis’ efforts. Polemical works can leave a giant legacy, and Fringe Medicine is a classic of the genre.

Brian Inglis, was an Irish journalist, historian and TV presenter. He popularly known in Britain as the presenter for All Our Yesterdays. His publications covered a range of topics, including biographies, medicine and the paranormal. Other books by Inglis include The Forbidden Game: A Social History of Drugsand The Story of Ireland, amongst many others.