Roy Porter, a professor of social history of medicine at a London institute, could well be the most brilliant writer on the topic. Here's a science writer whose ability to translate the complicated for the masses makes his work not only easy to read, but marvelously entertaining.

"The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity" (W.W. Norton, $35) is a massive journey of medicine from pre-history to today, told in a chatty, information-packed, joyously droll style that will keep readers turning pages in anticipation of the pleasures to come.

In his introduction, Porter observes that "there is a pervasive sense that our well-being is imperiled by threats, all around, from the air we breathe to the food in the shops." His book sets the history of medical thinking and medical practice to the fore. "It concentrates on medical ideas about disease, medical teachings about healthy and unhealthy bodies, and medical models of life and death."

When one thinks of all the medical advances made during the twentieth century, one tends to wonder about why we seem no closer to curing mankind's major plagues and woes. As Porter points out, "Expectations of a conclusive victory over disease should always have seemed naive since that would fly in the face of a key axiom of Darwinian biology: ceaseless evolutionary adaptation."

Porter notes that "despite dazzling medical advances, world health prospects at the close of the twentieth century seem much gloomier than half a century ago."

This is a terrific book, worth your time and money. (You can order it through the Barnes & Noble link on this page.)

LYNCHING DETAILED

Lynching is not a subject most people want to hear about, although the recent horrors in Jasper, Texas, brought the topic to the forefront of the news. Help in understanding this American phenomenon can be gained from reaching an excellent new book on the topic.

"The Lynching of Cleo Wright" (University Press of Kentucky, $29.95) is Dominic J. Capeci Jr.'s forthright and detailed examination of an incident that occurred not where you'd expect. Cleo Wright, a young black man living in Sikeston, Missouri, was murdered by a crowd of angry whites on Jan. 20, 1942. What made this lynching unusual was the fact of its setting. Sikeston was not a town in the South, but in a state "possessing neither completely northern or southern nor even distinctively border characteristics."

According to Capeci, this death "influenced local, state, and national history as have very few lynchings. It revealed the disruption of transition from traditional to modern society in an urban setting . . . " Capeci believes that "an understanding of one death in one critical era can provide insights for citizens struggling to enter a new age of demographic change, scare resources, and intergroup conflict. In that lesson lies the enduring significance of Wright's life--and that of every other lynch victim."

VIDEO MOVIES FOR THE LADIES

There are all kinds of video guides to movies on the shelves of your average book store, but a new one caught my eye because of its title and attitude. "Chicks on Film: Video Picks for Women and Other Intelligent Forms of Life" (Avon, $12) is a trade paperback containing 250 favorite titles for every mood.

Authors Gabrielle Cosgriff, Anne Reifenberg and Cynthia Thomas are three journalists who started a weekly cable TV show in Texas two years ago. There they dished current flicks. In their book, which is often funny and smart, they offer selections based on mood. The chapter titles include such as "Chicks in Charge," "I Will Survive," and "Screw the Plot: Just Bring Me a Menu!"

Here's an example of their style, from the review of "The Last of the Mohicans":