This work traces the historical enthusiasm and skepticism surrounding electronic media in health and medicine, highlighting that the challenges faced by telehealth and electronic medical records today mirror those encountered with the telephone in the late 19th century and later technologies like radio, television, and computers throughout the 20th century. Utilizing a wealth of archival materials, physician/historian Jeremy Greene examines the dual role of new electronic media in shaping American health. While today's telehealth devices surpass the basic telephones of the 1920s, FM radios of the 1940s, and early televisions of the 1950s, the ethical, economic, and logistical issues they present echo earlier experiences, revealing a consistent gap between expectations and reality. Each technological advancement has subtly transformed health care, often forgotten amidst the allure of newer innovations. This raises critical questions about the adequacy of telemedicine, its impact on patient-provider relationships, and the benefits and drawbacks of adopting new technologies. Ultimately, the work prompts reflection on what these communication tools, despite their failures to deliver promised revolutions, reveal about our understanding of health and disease.
