Medicine

Featuring the work of many of the great medical pioneers, including Florence Nightingale and Joseph Lister, this fascinating illustrated guide brings to life the history of medicine from ancient times to the present day. Twenty thousand years ago, Stone Age man cut holes in patients’ skulls to release evil spirits. Today, doctors diagnose diseases and injuries affecting the brain by using magnetic imaging to ‘slice’ through the head and produce 3-D pictures on a computer screen. But while such sophisticated medical technology is now widely used, doctors continue to follow principles laid down in the 5th century BC by the Greek physician Hippocrates, and to prescribe drugs extracted from plants such as foxglove, whose healing properties have been recognised for hundreds of years. Illustrated with photographs of diagnostic techniques, medical procedures, and surgical instruments past and present, Medicine is a remarkable guide to the fight against disease.