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

Gr 3 Up–Of course, illness is never funny. Except maybe when Campbell manages to turn the most putrid diseases (and their not-so-wonderful cures) into an unforgettable performance of ghastly schadenfreude humor. A swingy, jazzy soundtrack keeps the recording entertainingly buoyant, never mind the immediate warning: “READ ON… IF YOU HAVE THE STOMACH FOR IT!” Some treatments haven’t ever changed: for Guinea worm disease, the worm babies and larvae need to grow over a few years, wriggle out of the skin, and then can be removed—by tugging! Some have changed only a little: long ago poop soup for diarrhea has given way to fecal transplants. And, of course, considerable progress continues: medical glue, staples, stitches have replaced heads of ants and beetles to close wounds; robo-surgeons, organ transplants, cloning are just a few of today’s advancements.