The Underbelly of Medicine

Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Before the review, an important note on my rating system. Two stars from me does not mean that the book was bad. It means, that the book is actually good, it's just something that I can't see myself reading again just because of my personal preferences.

This book was highly entertaining and gory at the same time. As I was reading it, I kept thinking how glad I was to be alive during a time when we know procedures used in the past are actually harmful. I wonder how many of the things we done in health care now will be considered quackery in a few hundred years. On the bright side, at least I've never had to deal with the procedures mentioned in this book.

I enjoyed the book, pulling faces all the way through, but I think for me personally, it's not something I would read again. Now that I have learned the information, I'm good. People that are into medicine, history, or science in general would like this book. I really think anyone would like this book, but it takes someone with a strong interest in this kind of information to decided to read it over and over.

There are some cheesy jokes throughout that broke up some of the gross bits. There are also little thoughts throughout that echoed what I was thinking while reading those sections. The author knows that some of the procedures done in olden days is really off the wall, and the notes make me feel like I'm not alone in my thought process.

The pictures were a huge help in really understanding what the processes were. When you read that they used a certain instrument that is not used today, it's hard to picture how everything worked. The images clarified those questions.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.
Author: Lydia Kang
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Publication Date: 17 Oct 2017

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