Strange Medicine by Nathan Belofsky

Strange Medicine by Nathan Belofsky

Discover the astonishing and peculiar history of medicine with this perfect gift for history buffs, doctors, and anyone looking to be amazed by the brilliant and bizarre ideas that shaped the world of medicine as we know it.

From the use of electric eels in ancient Egypt to medieval dentists burning candles to combat invisible worms, this book uncovers the weirdest medical practices throughout history, highlighting the most dubious ideas, strangest treatments, and biggest blunders. Entertaining, shocking, and sometimes stomach-turning, Strange Medicine presents strange but true facts and an honor roll of doctors, scientists, and dreamers who inadvertently turned the clock of medicine backward.

Did you know:

* Renaissance physicians timed surgical procedures according to the position of the stars?
* Blood from beheadings was believed to cure epilepsy?
* Dr. Walter Freeman, the world's foremost practitioner of lobotomies, practiced his craft while traveling on family camping trips, hammering ice picks into the eye sockets of his patients in between hikes in the woods?

Strange Medicine is an illuminating panorama of medical history as you've never seen it before.

Nathan Belofsky is the author of The Book of Strange and Curious Legal Oddities, which has been featured in the New Yorker and on Salon. He lives in Manhattan.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780399159954
ISBN 10	0399159959
Title	Strange Medicine
Author	Nathan Belofsky
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Penguin Putnam Inc
Year published	2013-07-02
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.