Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Outlandish medical stories? Check. Gratituous vintage gore? Check. Wit and humor? Check.
I loved the structure of the book- each story contains direct passages from old journals, interspersed with the author's notes which are hilarious and also explain the unfamiliar and dated medical terms. There were some stories which could have been skipped, a crisper editing would have made this book an even bigger success. But most of the stories deserve their own books.
I loved the structure of the book- each story contains direct passages from old journals, interspersed with the author's notes which are hilarious and also explain the unfamiliar and dated medical terms. There were some stories which could have been skipped, a crisper editing would have made this book an even bigger success. But most of the stories deserve their own books.
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
One of my favorite books to date. If you like weird history and victorian medical oddities, this book is perfect.
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
"Trying to impress your friends while under the influence of industrial quantities of alcohol is more often than not a really terrible idea. And more importantly, the correct answer to the question 'Can you swallow more knives?' is never 'All the knives aboard the ship.'"
I love reading about weird medical stuff. And this book has a lot of weird stuff. From a young man in 1724 who had a fork lodged in his anus to a man who survived, and recovered fully, other than having a stiff knee, being shot and stabbed with a bayonet. Most of the odd medical cases or dubious remedies offered here are from the 1700's to the early 1900's, and make you extremely thankful that you live in an age of hand-washing and medical care that does not contain leeches or crow bile.
I really enjoyed that this book isn't overly scientific. While there's nothing wrong with being scientific, this book is fun to read instead of feeling like homework for high-school biology. It also isn't full of irrelevant anecdotes that draw you away from the hilarious medical anomalies that presented themselves to old school doctors.
Also, as a side note, apparently the human yearning to stick things into your butt that don't belong there is not a new thing. People have apparently been fascinated by, and getting things lodged into, the anus for the entirety of medical history.
I love reading about weird medical stuff. And this book has a lot of weird stuff. From a young man in 1724 who had a fork lodged in his anus to a man who survived, and recovered fully, other than having a stiff knee, being shot and stabbed with a bayonet. Most of the odd medical cases or dubious remedies offered here are from the 1700's to the early 1900's, and make you extremely thankful that you live in an age of hand-washing and medical care that does not contain leeches or crow bile.
I really enjoyed that this book isn't overly scientific. While there's nothing wrong with being scientific, this book is fun to read instead of feeling like homework for high-school biology. It also isn't full of irrelevant anecdotes that draw you away from the hilarious medical anomalies that presented themselves to old school doctors.
Also, as a side note, apparently the human yearning to stick things into your butt that don't belong there is not a new thing. People have apparently been fascinated by, and getting things lodged into, the anus for the entirety of medical history.
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
informative
relaxing
fast-paced
funny
informative
slow-paced
This was a super fun book!
Honestly, it reminds me of all the crazy stories both my parents would come home with, given their occupations. Though I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction, the author was engaging and funny. Morris has written another book, that one on the history of the heart or something like that. I think I'd like to read that one as well!
Honestly, it reminds me of all the crazy stories both my parents would come home with, given their occupations. Though I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction, the author was engaging and funny. Morris has written another book, that one on the history of the heart or something like that. I think I'd like to read that one as well!
challenging
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail