eraofkara's review against another edition
4.0
A fun little romp through weird medical stories largely from the 17th-early 20th centuries, told with a healthy dose of dad humor. Favorites: In the 17th century, tonsils were known as "almonds of the ear"! The guy who coughed up part of his own spine! And the kid who got a goose larynx stuck in his own, so he honked when he breathed! (I'm a terrible person.)
maddyb001's review against another edition
2.0
This book was very gorey. I generally do okay with that but the technical descriptions of broken bones and spurting blood did me in.
duckoffimreading's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting compilation of strange medical occurrences and their treatments from the 1700s and 1800s. All I gotta say is: thank god I live in a world of modern medicine! In all fairness, there was a doctor quoted from back when acknowledging that when people in future times hear of their practices, they will think they are nonsensical or even rudimentary compared to the advances of modern medicine - same can be said of our current practices too! Lots of blood, bodily fluids and extensions of the truth - if you are in to that kind of thing ;)
dewey_the_composer's review against another edition
5.0
The book is heavily annotated excerpts from old medical journals. And, honestly, I thought I'd get sick of the interruptions. But they were witty and mostly enlightening to bridge the jargon for old doctors to new me's. Very enjoyable! Just some very cringey stories sometimes that'll make you squirm.
sanjanabht's review against another edition
4.0
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.
okiect's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
One of my favorite books to date. If you like weird history and victorian medical oddities, this book is perfect.
nachosurfer's review against another edition
4.0
"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.