Quackery

Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen Summary:  What won’t we try in our quest for perfect health, beauty, and the fountain of youth? Well, just imagine a time when doctors prescribed morphine for crying infants. When liquefied gold was touted as immortality in a glass. And when strychnine—yes, that strychnine, the one used in rat poison—was dosed like Viagra. Looking back with fascination, horror, and not a little dash of dark, knowing humor, Quackery recounts the lively, at times unbelievable, history of medical misfires and malpractices. Ranging from the merely weird to the outright dangerous, here are dozens of outlandish, morbidly hilarious “treatments”—conceived by doctors and scientists, by spiritualists and snake oil salesmen (yes, they literally tried to sell snake oil)—that were predicated on a range of cluelessness, trial and error, and straight-up scams. With vintage illustrations, photographs, and advertisements throughout, Quackery seamlessly combines macabre humor with science and storytelling to reveal an important and disturbing side of the ever-evolving field of medicine. Angie’s comments: Fascinating look into all the weird and sometimes deadly ways that people have treated diseases. The book is a whirlwind tour through history and treatments, with a humorous tone. At times, the humor overtook the message. Very engrossing and gross! Recommended for readers interested in a pop, not scientific, look into historic medicinal treatments. And for readers who want to be grossed out! Request this item