The Body Bizarre: Unusual Medical Cases and Strange Methods of Treatment in the History of Medicine

A highly interesting collection of real historical oddities brings together the strangest cases that baffled doctors from all over the world. From 17th-century Holland to Tsarist Russia, from rural Canada to a whaling ship in the Pacific—people did foolish things everywhere and harmed themselves, while doctors had to sort it all out. These stories testify to the inventiveness that surgeons demonstrated long before the advent of anesthesia. We’ll also learn about strange—and sometimes even amusing—medicines used by doctors of the past: from cow vomit to enemas with port wine.

Combining an engaging history with biting humor, this book will take you through the funniest, strangest, and most surprising corners of medical history—thanks to which modern doctors can have both the knowledge and the means to treat many diseases.