Mackenzie

“A book differs from a paper or article in this respect – that it does not require the consent of an editor before it can see the light of day. And the publishers of medical works are far less under the influence of the ‘prevailing opinion’ than are usually the editors of medical journals. The latter are doctors themselves, and are usually obsessed by the idea that they must, at all costs, maintain their reputation for wisdom and gravity. Publishers, on the other hand, are men of the marketplace, with an instinct for business. They continually take risks in the matter of new and unorthodox books, which do them great credit. Mackenzie, like many another man, reached the public whom he sought to influence, behind the backs of the ‘Press’ (Wilson, 179-80).