A Sick History of Medicine: A Warts-And-All Book Full of Fun Facts and Disgusting Discoveries

WARNING: NOT FOR THE FAINT-HEARTED. This revolting history of medicine through the ages by Jelena Poleksic is full of blood, guts, and gore!

If you don’t like going to the doctor, spare a thought for your ancestors. Got a headache? We can drill into your skull! Need to buy medicine? Can we recommend a dose of ground-up Egyptian mummy? Want to fight off diseases? Try smelling a stinky cesspit.

It’s well-known that to make advances in science you have to make a few mistakes along the way. In this hilarious history book kids will be whisked around the world--from ancient Rome to imperial China--to meet the medical innovators who pushed the boundaries of what was possible, with sometimes disastrous effects. They’ll learn about the use of leeches, maggot-therapy (as gross as it sounds), dancing plagues, public dissections, grave robbers, electric eel treatments, exploding teeth, and much more!

Written by a doctor, everything in this book has been scrupulously researched and readers will learn about the development of some of our greatest inventions, from vaccines to X-rays. Amusing illustrations by Ella Kasperowicz make this a book kids will want to return to again and again.

The vile sequel to the equally revolting A Stinky History of Toilets!

Jelena Poleksic is a resident physician specializing in psychiatry with a passion for the history of medicine. She completed a graduate degree in the history and philosophy of science. You can find her on social media explaining the weirder aspects of medical history - @psychistorydoc.

Ella Kasperowicz, AKA Ellastrated, is a UK-based illustrator. She creates playful, relatable and modern information illustrations inspired by travel, mental health, and friendship. Ella also illustrated the previous book in the series, A Stinky History of Toilets.