What do you think?
Rate this book
How to Remove a Brain: and Other Bizarre Medical Practices and Procedures
•How was history changed by a single Soho water pump?
•Which condition was treated by trapping a child inside a tree trunk?
•Where is the soul found?
•How long does it take to digest chewing gum?
•What are hiccups for?
•Did the Gauls brush their teeth with urine?
•Does organ theft actually happen?
•Is it safe to fly with breast implants?
•Did Christopher Columbus import syphilis to Europe?
•Was King George V killed by his doctor, in order to meet The Times’ deadline?
Taking in everything from the outrageous (yes, Hitler was addicted to crystal meth) to the eye-watering (such as the renowned surgeon who accidentally cut off his patient’s left testicle) to the downright disgusting (like the "cure" for toothache used by the Egyptians involving dead-mouse paste), this book proves that medical science is not for the faint-hearted, lily-livered or weak-stomached!
•Which condition was treated by trapping a child inside a tree trunk?
•Where is the soul found?
•How long does it take to digest chewing gum?
•What are hiccups for?
•Did the Gauls brush their teeth with urine?
•Does organ theft actually happen?
•Is it safe to fly with breast implants?
•Did Christopher Columbus import syphilis to Europe?
•Was King George V killed by his doctor, in order to meet The Times’ deadline?
Taking in everything from the outrageous (yes, Hitler was addicted to crystal meth) to the eye-watering (such as the renowned surgeon who accidentally cut off his patient’s left testicle) to the downright disgusting (like the "cure" for toothache used by the Egyptians involving dead-mouse paste), this book proves that medical science is not for the faint-hearted, lily-livered or weak-stomached!
189 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2012
36 people are currently reading
198 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
May 21, 2023
Despite the off putting title, there are some truly fascinating medical facts and procedures that will amuse and probably disgust at the same time, but ultimately they reward the reader with lots of interesting and entertaining trivia.
It’s clear that the author has carried out an impressive amount of research, and he’s provided facts about medical practices and procedures dating back to the Ancient Egyptians, and what’s more, he’s managed to relate them in an engaging and amusing manner.
Discover amongst other things - What method of birth control the ancient Egyptians used, and how surprisingly effective it could be - though it did have its downsides!
Who kept farts in a jar - and why?
Was King George V’s death hastened by his doctor?
All in all a weird, wacky, yet amusing and educational read.
* I was invited to read How To Remove A Brain: and Other Bizarre Medical Practices and Procedures by the author and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
It’s clear that the author has carried out an impressive amount of research, and he’s provided facts about medical practices and procedures dating back to the Ancient Egyptians, and what’s more, he’s managed to relate them in an engaging and amusing manner.
Discover amongst other things - What method of birth control the ancient Egyptians used, and how surprisingly effective it could be - though it did have its downsides!
Who kept farts in a jar - and why?
Was King George V’s death hastened by his doctor?
All in all a weird, wacky, yet amusing and educational read.
* I was invited to read How To Remove A Brain: and Other Bizarre Medical Practices and Procedures by the author and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
February 25, 2020
Discernment
How to Remove a Brain is the book from the highly talented David Haviland and he adds to his growing reputation of producing these fact-filled, trivia fun reads on multiple subjects. The medical area really resonated with me as I often speak about the dubious historical practices that existed in healthcare and medicines, which led to the establishment of the FDA and other regulatory bodies. I find this whole area fascinating and controversial, and the book delivers amazing titbits of medical and physiological information along with its history and practices. A captivating book full of medical vignettes that will enlighten, astound, amuse and disgust the reader.
The book starts with the medical wisdom of the ancients, and the Egyptians in particular. How do you remove a brain? You could say, 'saw through the top of the head and lift out', or 'use a long wire with a hook and feed it through the nasal cavity to scrape it away in chunks' – as the ancient Egyptians did in preparation for mummification. The region around Egypt and Greece developed many of the concepts and terminology we still use today. Plastic as in plastic surgery doesn’t come from the use of the material context but rather the Greek word ‘plastikos’ which means to mould. We all know the importance of the Hippocratic Oath but it runs to several principles and is still sworn (or a modified version of it anyway) by most doctors today.
In 1535, Belgian Andreas Vesalius stole the dead body of a hanging criminal and secretly investigated the human skeletal and organ composition, thus disproving many of the beliefs held since Aristotle and Galen. With so many errors from Galen it is now presumed that he could not have dissected a human body to have gained his knowledge, but instead used other animals and assumed similarity. Vesalius is recognised as the father of modern-day anatomy.
How often in all innovations do we hear how the real inventor, or the seminal piece of work, was conducted by someone other than who is given credit for it? There are some interesting revelations here and often the pursuit of knowledge is accompanied with macabre and clandestine activities.
All David’s work is very well researched and common misconceptions challenged with a more logical proposition, such as the eradication of the Plague by the Great Fire of London. David makes the reading of this book entertaining and engaging as he often builds the background to the proposed question. For example, was Jack the Ripper a Surgeon? Do we only use 10% of our brain? Can some people go mad at a full moon? Does snake oil work?
A book to be enjoyed either with a smile or grimace on your face. Many thanks to David Haviland for providing me with a copy of his book in return for an honest review.
How to Remove a Brain is the book from the highly talented David Haviland and he adds to his growing reputation of producing these fact-filled, trivia fun reads on multiple subjects. The medical area really resonated with me as I often speak about the dubious historical practices that existed in healthcare and medicines, which led to the establishment of the FDA and other regulatory bodies. I find this whole area fascinating and controversial, and the book delivers amazing titbits of medical and physiological information along with its history and practices. A captivating book full of medical vignettes that will enlighten, astound, amuse and disgust the reader.
The book starts with the medical wisdom of the ancients, and the Egyptians in particular. How do you remove a brain? You could say, 'saw through the top of the head and lift out', or 'use a long wire with a hook and feed it through the nasal cavity to scrape it away in chunks' – as the ancient Egyptians did in preparation for mummification. The region around Egypt and Greece developed many of the concepts and terminology we still use today. Plastic as in plastic surgery doesn’t come from the use of the material context but rather the Greek word ‘plastikos’ which means to mould. We all know the importance of the Hippocratic Oath but it runs to several principles and is still sworn (or a modified version of it anyway) by most doctors today.
In 1535, Belgian Andreas Vesalius stole the dead body of a hanging criminal and secretly investigated the human skeletal and organ composition, thus disproving many of the beliefs held since Aristotle and Galen. With so many errors from Galen it is now presumed that he could not have dissected a human body to have gained his knowledge, but instead used other animals and assumed similarity. Vesalius is recognised as the father of modern-day anatomy.
How often in all innovations do we hear how the real inventor, or the seminal piece of work, was conducted by someone other than who is given credit for it? There are some interesting revelations here and often the pursuit of knowledge is accompanied with macabre and clandestine activities.
All David’s work is very well researched and common misconceptions challenged with a more logical proposition, such as the eradication of the Plague by the Great Fire of London. David makes the reading of this book entertaining and engaging as he often builds the background to the proposed question. For example, was Jack the Ripper a Surgeon? Do we only use 10% of our brain? Can some people go mad at a full moon? Does snake oil work?
A book to be enjoyed either with a smile or grimace on your face. Many thanks to David Haviland for providing me with a copy of his book in return for an honest review.
June 15, 2022
How to Remove a Brain: and Other Bizarre Medical Practices and Procedures is a highly informative as well as an entertaining collection of strange & unusual medical facts and myths. In a well-compiled and crisp collection, Haviland has given the readers a brief exploration of the most random and unknown facts of medical science and practice.
The facts and myths explored in this book are so weird yet fascinating that they will want you to keep reading. The book is organized into ten chapters, such as “The Wisdom of the Ancients”, “Disgusting Diseases”, “Curious Cures” and “Dodgy Diagnosis” . From the thought-provoking to the cringe-inducing, from the truly bizarre myths to the most fascinating facts, this book has it all and that is what makes it most entertaining. The book debunks many myths like the Great Fire of London being the reason for the end of the plague. It also includes the brief history of many medical innovators and their important discoveries like Germ theory or Anesthesia. The facts in this book are truly unique like:
• Whether Jack the Ripper was a surgeon?
• Does organ theft actually happen?
• Why the stethoscope was invented?
• Was Abraham Lincoln poisoned?
• Why is it that so many murderers are doctors?
The author has carried out a remarkable amount of research about medical practices and procedures dating back to the Ancient civilizations and presented them in an entertaining and engaging manner. If you love science, you will enjoy reading this book.
The facts and myths explored in this book are so weird yet fascinating that they will want you to keep reading. The book is organized into ten chapters, such as “The Wisdom of the Ancients”, “Disgusting Diseases”, “Curious Cures” and “Dodgy Diagnosis” . From the thought-provoking to the cringe-inducing, from the truly bizarre myths to the most fascinating facts, this book has it all and that is what makes it most entertaining. The book debunks many myths like the Great Fire of London being the reason for the end of the plague. It also includes the brief history of many medical innovators and their important discoveries like Germ theory or Anesthesia. The facts in this book are truly unique like:
• Whether Jack the Ripper was a surgeon?
• Does organ theft actually happen?
• Why the stethoscope was invented?
• Was Abraham Lincoln poisoned?
• Why is it that so many murderers are doctors?
The author has carried out a remarkable amount of research about medical practices and procedures dating back to the Ancient civilizations and presented them in an entertaining and engaging manner. If you love science, you will enjoy reading this book.
September 28, 2017
REVIEW LATER.
August 9, 2017
I’m extremely pleased with this book.
Learning about science is one thing, but learning about all the weird things is even better. You would never think of all the things people did back then to ‘cure’ a disease and actually made it worse.
When you think about medicine, you tend to think doctors somehow always knew more or less their business, but this book makes you realize that no, doctors knew close to nothing. They thought making you bleed would cure you from nearly every disease out there, they didn’t even touch you to know what’s wrong with you, and some would even kill you for your money . . . how nice.
There were times I just couldn’t help but laugh because some of the things were simply hilarious! Some were actually disgusting, but most were just funny.
This book teach you so many things! There are so many little things I thought I knew about but ended up being wrong!
If you love science, I’d definitely recommend you to read this book, because the author tries to teach you things by showing you how absurd they were or just by making you laugh.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Learning about science is one thing, but learning about all the weird things is even better. You would never think of all the things people did back then to ‘cure’ a disease and actually made it worse.
When you think about medicine, you tend to think doctors somehow always knew more or less their business, but this book makes you realize that no, doctors knew close to nothing. They thought making you bleed would cure you from nearly every disease out there, they didn’t even touch you to know what’s wrong with you, and some would even kill you for your money . . . how nice.
There were times I just couldn’t help but laugh because some of the things were simply hilarious! Some were actually disgusting, but most were just funny.
This book teach you so many things! There are so many little things I thought I knew about but ended up being wrong!
If you love science, I’d definitely recommend you to read this book, because the author tries to teach you things by showing you how absurd they were or just by making you laugh.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
August 23, 2017
How to Remove a Brain And Other Bizarre Medical Practices and Procedures by David Haviland is a fun and crazy book with things in there I would have never thought of. I requested this book from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. Let me first say, I have two degrees, I am a nurse (that helps when reading some of this gross stuff), so I am not an illiterate person. I like trivia and I can't help it if this trivia is a little on the... strange side. I don't want to call it odd, lets call it obscure. Let's just say if you are looking for something different, you got it! I loved it, different, strange, you won't find this anywhere else! LOL
March 17, 2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Nonfiction
Don't be fooled by its title because this book is lots of fun to read. It has lots of bizarre medical procedures or practices. It is weird but very enjoyable at the same time. In ten chapters, many subjects have been covered. Examples are many like How ancient Egypt believed dead mouse paste could cure toothache, How to remove a brain! and how plastic surgery happened.
Everything here is about bizarre medical practices. Some people might get disgusted (There is a whole chapter about disgusted diseases!) and others might find that interesting. One drawback about this book is that it has no references to back up all these claims. Some of the practices could be true while others just assumptions or conclusions reached by the author. For example, in one of the chapters, there is talk about the benefits of drinking urine. I have read about that some time ago that there were some tribes that encouraged this habit for the benefits they thought this practice give. However, the author also mentions in the same chapter "The Koran bizarrely recommends the drinking of camels urine" and I say this is a completely wrong statement and has no truth to it. I don't know how and from where the author reached this false conclusion? Just because some old tribes in Saudia Arabia do this practice does not mean that it is written or recommended by Koran! This and much other stuff makes me question a lot of the things written in the book.
I would say read this book for enjoyment only, I don't think the author meant for it to be taken seriously as there are no references and many points are based on his own interpretation rather than real facts. I understand that some of the subjects he mentioned were just based on pure myths like whether Hitler was a meth addict or not, but that point about Koran is just a pure false statement and not even a myth. It would have been a lot better if he backed up the points he made with references.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Genre: Nonfiction
Don't be fooled by its title because this book is lots of fun to read. It has lots of bizarre medical procedures or practices. It is weird but very enjoyable at the same time. In ten chapters, many subjects have been covered. Examples are many like How ancient Egypt believed dead mouse paste could cure toothache, How to remove a brain! and how plastic surgery happened.
Everything here is about bizarre medical practices. Some people might get disgusted (There is a whole chapter about disgusted diseases!) and others might find that interesting. One drawback about this book is that it has no references to back up all these claims. Some of the practices could be true while others just assumptions or conclusions reached by the author. For example, in one of the chapters, there is talk about the benefits of drinking urine. I have read about that some time ago that there were some tribes that encouraged this habit for the benefits they thought this practice give. However, the author also mentions in the same chapter "The Koran bizarrely recommends the drinking of camels urine" and I say this is a completely wrong statement and has no truth to it. I don't know how and from where the author reached this false conclusion? Just because some old tribes in Saudia Arabia do this practice does not mean that it is written or recommended by Koran! This and much other stuff makes me question a lot of the things written in the book.
I would say read this book for enjoyment only, I don't think the author meant for it to be taken seriously as there are no references and many points are based on his own interpretation rather than real facts. I understand that some of the subjects he mentioned were just based on pure myths like whether Hitler was a meth addict or not, but that point about Koran is just a pure false statement and not even a myth. It would have been a lot better if he backed up the points he made with references.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Thistle Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
February 17, 2019
This is a highly readable collection of short essays on a whole variety of strange and unusual medical facts, history, curiosities and myth. I found the whole thing fascinating because I'm a GP with a special interest in travel medicine, and therefore tropical and infectious diseases, many of which feature here, but this would be just as fascinating to a lay-person.
Organised by chapters beginning with the Wisdom of the Ancients, we learn about the use of crocodile dung as a contraceptive, and how mummies were prepared for burial - from whence comes the title. Moving on to Disgusting Diseases, Dodgy Diagnoses and Curious Cures, and so on, virtually all facets of medicine and its history are covered, humorously but accurately.
Some descriptions will make you cringe, wince or put down your glass of apple juice, but many myths are also debunked, some very widely held - such as the Great Fire of London being the reason for the end of the plague. There are famous names, like Typhoid Mary and the other John Snow, but also accounts of many medical pioneers who for whatever reason are not household names.
I read this as an ebook but it would probably work best as a paperback to dip in and out of. My only criticism is I would've liked to have seen a list of references and a bibliography to know where the author got all his facts.
I feel like I've learned or been reminded of lots of interesting things that may also come in handy at pub quizzes (and maybe even the odd consultation, but just as a conversational topic I hope!)
My thanks to David Haviland, who contacted me directly to offer me a free copy, in exchange for an honest review, although I actually downloaded it through NetGalley (where it is still available, at the time of writing). I've already got one colleague interested in buying a copy!
Organised by chapters beginning with the Wisdom of the Ancients, we learn about the use of crocodile dung as a contraceptive, and how mummies were prepared for burial - from whence comes the title. Moving on to Disgusting Diseases, Dodgy Diagnoses and Curious Cures, and so on, virtually all facets of medicine and its history are covered, humorously but accurately.
Some descriptions will make you cringe, wince or put down your glass of apple juice, but many myths are also debunked, some very widely held - such as the Great Fire of London being the reason for the end of the plague. There are famous names, like Typhoid Mary and the other John Snow, but also accounts of many medical pioneers who for whatever reason are not household names.
I read this as an ebook but it would probably work best as a paperback to dip in and out of. My only criticism is I would've liked to have seen a list of references and a bibliography to know where the author got all his facts.
I feel like I've learned or been reminded of lots of interesting things that may also come in handy at pub quizzes (and maybe even the odd consultation, but just as a conversational topic I hope!)
My thanks to David Haviland, who contacted me directly to offer me a free copy, in exchange for an honest review, although I actually downloaded it through NetGalley (where it is still available, at the time of writing). I've already got one colleague interested in buying a copy!
June 10, 2019
Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It was so refreshing for me to read something nonfiction that was educational and full of trivia. I love bizarre facts and bizarre stories, so this title spoke to me right away. Also the fact that the book wasn't too long made me try it. It was pretty fun to read something like this after reading only fiction books! I'm sure I'll always be a sucker for fiction books, but a nonfiction book once in a while won't hurt me.
A longer review can be found at Bite Into Books
A quick and easy read for everyone who likes to indulge themself in a nonfiction book. The book is filled with some of the most bizarre questions and myths about the human body and medical procedures. I enjoyed reading this and I'm definitely up to read something like this again.
It was so refreshing for me to read something nonfiction that was educational and full of trivia. I love bizarre facts and bizarre stories, so this title spoke to me right away. Also the fact that the book wasn't too long made me try it. It was pretty fun to read something like this after reading only fiction books! I'm sure I'll always be a sucker for fiction books, but a nonfiction book once in a while won't hurt me.
A longer review can be found at Bite Into Books
A quick and easy read for everyone who likes to indulge themself in a nonfiction book. The book is filled with some of the most bizarre questions and myths about the human body and medical procedures. I enjoyed reading this and I'm definitely up to read something like this again.
November 22, 2012
I love books like this, full of random facts, which don't expand too much on any one point. There's always stuff I already know, but there's also a lot of other random information. Some of it I wasn't entirely sure of -- as the daughter of a doctor and a confirmed hypochondriac, I have a fair amount of medical knowledge -- but a lot of the historical-medical facts are very interesting.
This kind of book and the New Scientist books and QI books and QI itself always fascinate me most when I'm sick. I can't read and understand a long reasoned argument, but I sure can add a lot of random, useless facts to my large store of said commodities.
(I get this from my father. It is very rare for me to come up with a random fact that he is not already aware of, and letters from him are a thing of beauty. Once, when I was first at university, he wrote a letter to me explaining that if I stuck in a place with nothing but a car battery, jump leads, and a jar of pickled gherkins, I could provide myself with light, heat, and hot food by passing electricity through a gherkin, which would glow with an eerie green light, emit sparks, and eventually catch fire. One day I could make a lot of money by publishing a book like this myself with extracts from my dad's letters in. There was another anecdote when I was having trouble with adjusting to having a flatmate where he told me that with any two people who claim they always get on, a) they are lying or b) one of them possesses a gun. /ramble)
This kind of book and the New Scientist books and QI books and QI itself always fascinate me most when I'm sick. I can't read and understand a long reasoned argument, but I sure can add a lot of random, useless facts to my large store of said commodities.
(I get this from my father. It is very rare for me to come up with a random fact that he is not already aware of, and letters from him are a thing of beauty. Once, when I was first at university, he wrote a letter to me explaining that if I stuck in a place with nothing but a car battery, jump leads, and a jar of pickled gherkins, I could provide myself with light, heat, and hot food by passing electricity through a gherkin, which would glow with an eerie green light, emit sparks, and eventually catch fire. One day I could make a lot of money by publishing a book like this myself with extracts from my dad's letters in. There was another anecdote when I was having trouble with adjusting to having a flatmate where he told me that with any two people who claim they always get on, a) they are lying or b) one of them possesses a gun. /ramble)
February 3, 2019
3.5
David Haviland's How to Remove a Brain and Other Bizarre Medical Practices is an entertaining read of wide-ranging trivia of the sort that I recall enjoying in junior high. Amusing as it reads, there is real information here that will engage all age groups.
For instance, Haviland addresses the mystery of Queen Victoria's undiagnosed hernia. The queen was rather obsessed over her state of health (and bowels) was very dependent on her personal physician, keeping him at her beck and call. She trusted Sir James Reid so deeply she requested that he secretly slip a lock of hair from her trusted friend John Brown into her hand before burial. Reid was never allowed to touch the queen, and until he inspected her corpse never knew she had a hernia, and from her nine pregnancies, a badly prolapsed uterus.
Something that Victorian writers didn't tell us about was those child chimney sweepers usually worked in the buff! The boys spent days around soot with no protection, resulting in 'soot warts', a form of cancer, but which was thought to be a sexually transmitted disease. Sadly, treatment meant the removal of the boy's scrotum. So when we now read about the boys who cleaned the chimneys, we have another understanding of the cruelness of child labor driven by poverty.
The book has been nominated for the People's Book Prize.
I received a free ebook from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
David Haviland's How to Remove a Brain and Other Bizarre Medical Practices is an entertaining read of wide-ranging trivia of the sort that I recall enjoying in junior high. Amusing as it reads, there is real information here that will engage all age groups.
For instance, Haviland addresses the mystery of Queen Victoria's undiagnosed hernia. The queen was rather obsessed over her state of health (and bowels) was very dependent on her personal physician, keeping him at her beck and call. She trusted Sir James Reid so deeply she requested that he secretly slip a lock of hair from her trusted friend John Brown into her hand before burial. Reid was never allowed to touch the queen, and until he inspected her corpse never knew she had a hernia, and from her nine pregnancies, a badly prolapsed uterus.
Something that Victorian writers didn't tell us about was those child chimney sweepers usually worked in the buff! The boys spent days around soot with no protection, resulting in 'soot warts', a form of cancer, but which was thought to be a sexually transmitted disease. Sadly, treatment meant the removal of the boy's scrotum. So when we now read about the boys who cleaned the chimneys, we have another understanding of the cruelness of child labor driven by poverty.
The book has been nominated for the People's Book Prize.
I received a free ebook from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
August 1, 2017
This is an interesting little book packed full of fun facts and descriptive tit-bits throughout the ages regarding medical oddities. It was very easy to dip in and out of, and reminded me of the Horrible History books I read as a child. I liked the way it was organised, chronologically, and it was well thought out.
However, I sometimes found some of the facts and interesting bits of information a bit lacking. They could have been filled out with a bit more background. However, having said that this was still a fun and light read. Very informative.
However, I sometimes found some of the facts and interesting bits of information a bit lacking. They could have been filled out with a bit more background. However, having said that this was still a fun and light read. Very informative.
August 27, 2017
I thank Netgalley for providing me a copy to read & review 'How to Remove a Brain and Other Bizarre Medical practices' It is not more than 200 pages and can be read in one sitting.
The author David Haviland gives us many anecdotes and some fun and bizarre practices in ancient Egypt, Europe and US.
He also mentioned about the myth relating to Julius Caesar, his birth that he was not born of Caesarian section as it is only performed either to save the child or the mother. Since Julius Caesar mother died in her ripe age and not during giving birth to Caesar. David Haviland gives examples for Doctrine of Signatures that natural remedies embodies or reflect the ailments they are designed to cure. That is the appearance of certain fruits resembling our body parts.
There are many unknown facts in the book one such is that we share many diseases with animals and they are known as 'zoonoses' we caught common cold from horses, measles from dogs, influenzas from pigs & ducks, smallpox and tuberculosis from cattle.
Another fact relates to great artists, and how they were affected by using Emerald Green a chemical made from copper acetate and arsenic trioxide. The artist such as Cezanne, Van Gogh and Monet. All these artists excessively used Emerald Green in their paintings which lead to arsenic poisoning, Cezanne developed series diabetes, Van Gogh suffered from neurological disorders and third artist Monet got blinded.
The cabbies of London have bigger hippocampus region as longer they are driving taxi the bigger the region become. And to compensate the growth the other part of the brain shrinks.
There are many facts, one such is about Syphilis, an epidemic which spread throughout Europe after 1495. Each nation in Europe blamed their enemy. The French called this disease as Le mal Naples, while the Italians called it the Spanish disease. The Japanese called it as the Chinese disease and while Chinese people blamed it as Cantonese.
The author has given detailed account on the invention of X ray and aftermath and how one guy in London began marketing X ray proof underwear and made a small fortune.
One chapter is allotted to the Live Typhoid carrier Mary. She was a cook. Everywhere she went and cooked the people in the house get infected with typhoid but she never had the disease herself. A law was passed and she was isolated from others.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. A must book for information gatherers.
The author David Haviland gives us many anecdotes and some fun and bizarre practices in ancient Egypt, Europe and US.
He also mentioned about the myth relating to Julius Caesar, his birth that he was not born of Caesarian section as it is only performed either to save the child or the mother. Since Julius Caesar mother died in her ripe age and not during giving birth to Caesar. David Haviland gives examples for Doctrine of Signatures that natural remedies embodies or reflect the ailments they are designed to cure. That is the appearance of certain fruits resembling our body parts.
There are many unknown facts in the book one such is that we share many diseases with animals and they are known as 'zoonoses' we caught common cold from horses, measles from dogs, influenzas from pigs & ducks, smallpox and tuberculosis from cattle.
Another fact relates to great artists, and how they were affected by using Emerald Green a chemical made from copper acetate and arsenic trioxide. The artist such as Cezanne, Van Gogh and Monet. All these artists excessively used Emerald Green in their paintings which lead to arsenic poisoning, Cezanne developed series diabetes, Van Gogh suffered from neurological disorders and third artist Monet got blinded.
The cabbies of London have bigger hippocampus region as longer they are driving taxi the bigger the region become. And to compensate the growth the other part of the brain shrinks.
There are many facts, one such is about Syphilis, an epidemic which spread throughout Europe after 1495. Each nation in Europe blamed their enemy. The French called this disease as Le mal Naples, while the Italians called it the Spanish disease. The Japanese called it as the Chinese disease and while Chinese people blamed it as Cantonese.
The author has given detailed account on the invention of X ray and aftermath and how one guy in London began marketing X ray proof underwear and made a small fortune.
One chapter is allotted to the Live Typhoid carrier Mary. She was a cook. Everywhere she went and cooked the people in the house get infected with typhoid but she never had the disease herself. A law was passed and she was isolated from others.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. A must book for information gatherers.
January 21, 2019
Thanks to David Haviland and Thistle for sending me a digital copy.
A very entertaining but also insightful and interesting book. What is bizarre? Yes, using dung as a contraceptive seems rather bizarre - and it didn't even help, of course - but the people who practiced this really thought about it and thought they were doing something good. I'm always on the hunt for interesting facts and I found some nice new ones in this book, particularly regarding useful medical inventions.
I had to laugh out loud sometimes, for instance when reading about Queen Victoria and her personal physician - who never ever saw her in her bed or without her clothes. Only after she died he found out she suffered from some nasty ailments, as a hernia.
Not the kind of book you read in one sitting; it is the kind of book you read a chapter at the time. It is very well written with honesty ánd humor.
A very entertaining but also insightful and interesting book. What is bizarre? Yes, using dung as a contraceptive seems rather bizarre - and it didn't even help, of course - but the people who practiced this really thought about it and thought they were doing something good. I'm always on the hunt for interesting facts and I found some nice new ones in this book, particularly regarding useful medical inventions.
I had to laugh out loud sometimes, for instance when reading about Queen Victoria and her personal physician - who never ever saw her in her bed or without her clothes. Only after she died he found out she suffered from some nasty ailments, as a hernia.
Not the kind of book you read in one sitting; it is the kind of book you read a chapter at the time. It is very well written with honesty ánd humor.
January 8, 2019
I got this as a e book from the author and did a search on net galley and added it from there to my ipad. It is a good book to read. A good non fiction book with facts about the brain and medical procedures. I enjoyed reading it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.
January 13, 2019
Thanks to Thistle publishing for my copy.
This is a unique and fascinating insight into some obscure and truly weird medical facts and procedures. The author has thoroughly researched his subject and his writing style is both informative and at times amusing. As a retired nurse I loved this collection of medical trivia and loved the author's tongue in cheek style of explanation.
This is a unique and fascinating insight into some obscure and truly weird medical facts and procedures. The author has thoroughly researched his subject and his writing style is both informative and at times amusing. As a retired nurse I loved this collection of medical trivia and loved the author's tongue in cheek style of explanation.
October 3, 2017
This is a collection of short vignettes that answer such burning questions as “Did Christopher Columbus import Syphilis to Europe?” or “Did President Harrison die of a cold because he refused to wear a hat during his inauguration?” Some have a historical slant, as with the above, others are more contemporary. Some of those questions aren’t likely to pique your interest based purely on the question. “What was unusual about Dr James Barry?” is an example that didn’t grab me. What ties all these vignettes together is they touch on some medical subject.
Although some of the questions might not grab your attention, even the most boring questions might have an interesting or amusing answer. For example, Dr Barry is a trailblazer as the “first British surgeon to perform a successful Caesarean section in which both the mother and child survived.” Doctor Barry is also interesting as a trailblazer in other ways which were a secret until the good doctor’s death. Haviland’s dry wit creeps into many answers, adding a touch of humor. If you’re interested in trivia or discovering which things that many believe to be true aren’t, you should find How to Remove a Brain an entertaining read.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
Although some of the questions might not grab your attention, even the most boring questions might have an interesting or amusing answer. For example, Dr Barry is a trailblazer as the “first British surgeon to perform a successful Caesarean section in which both the mother and child survived.” Doctor Barry is also interesting as a trailblazer in other ways which were a secret until the good doctor’s death. Haviland’s dry wit creeps into many answers, adding a touch of humor. If you’re interested in trivia or discovering which things that many believe to be true aren’t, you should find How to Remove a Brain an entertaining read.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
August 12, 2017
My first thought is that if you were suspicious of doctors, this will drive you screaming away from them! This is a wonderful book devoted to dragging up every weird and wacky idea in medical science from times ancient to present.
Well written with a pen dipped in sarcasm, you’ll find yourself laughing and groaning. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I received this book from the publishers via NetGalley and am reviewing voluntarily
Well written with a pen dipped in sarcasm, you’ll find yourself laughing and groaning. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I received this book from the publishers via NetGalley and am reviewing voluntarily
September 11, 2017
How to Remove a Brain is a net-full of weird, wonderful and deeply yucky things that someone with a long career in medicine has heard about, noted down and presented in a single but not quite unified or connected collection. It is enough to make you change your mind about a career in medicine or, perhaps, entice you into training for one, if you like getting your hands sticky.
It’s difficult to talk about this publication without mentioning Horrible Histories, as a lot of the unusual and bizarre medical treatments occurred in the mid to distant past or in far flung places. Sensationalism is to the fore, with the tribe that ate the brains of their dead and diseased their own prions, treatments for various plagues, Wild West quackery and occasionally weird things that work (St John’s Wort). Caesarean probably wasn’t born by caesarean section, apparently, and I thought he was because it sounded likely. Then again, Horrible Histories claimed that Richard III did not have a humped back and that the “defamation” we know from Shakespeare was all Tudor propaganda, then a year later archaeologists dug up his skeleton from a car park in Leicester and it was quite clear that he did have massive curvature of the spine. This book is an education but at least a quarter of the information will be stuff you’ve heard of before and fair share of the rest will make your skin crawl. The good thing is, there’s quite a lot of information you will be reading here for the first time.
The book did throw up one scandal. William Farr, 1807 – 1883, was (it says in Wikipedia, which apparently you should never quote from but I’m being lazy) “a British epidemiologist, regarded as one of the founders of medical statistics” and University College London’s Farr Institute in Bloomsbury is named after him. He is the great example that generations of statisticians now look up to. However, epidemiologists also greatly respect John Snow, who made the classic analysis of a cholera outbreak in 1854 at Broad Street, Soho, London. Snow analysed the spatial pattern of where victims fell sick, then identified the source of the infection as a single water pump; therefore, cholera was transmitted by waterborne germs (Correct – a brilliant and competent scientific deduction. The discipline changed forever). The interesting thing is, Snow’s main opponent, who said that his analysis was rubbish, was William Farr. Farr claimed that cholera was transmitted by bad air (miasma) and the chance of you contracting cholera was related to your height above sea level. That’s the thing about science. Some people get it wrong, then the world laughs, the light of knowledge edges an inch forward against the darkness and over a hundred years later we commemorate people as brilliant when they probably weren’t all of the time. Being a statistical epidemiologist and opposing the most famous correct experiment in statistical epidemiology sounds a bit duff, in hindsight. What a tit.
I liked this book and learned a lot but it is fact, not fiction, so I’ll be passing it on. Possibly in Bloomsbury.
It’s difficult to talk about this publication without mentioning Horrible Histories, as a lot of the unusual and bizarre medical treatments occurred in the mid to distant past or in far flung places. Sensationalism is to the fore, with the tribe that ate the brains of their dead and diseased their own prions, treatments for various plagues, Wild West quackery and occasionally weird things that work (St John’s Wort). Caesarean probably wasn’t born by caesarean section, apparently, and I thought he was because it sounded likely. Then again, Horrible Histories claimed that Richard III did not have a humped back and that the “defamation” we know from Shakespeare was all Tudor propaganda, then a year later archaeologists dug up his skeleton from a car park in Leicester and it was quite clear that he did have massive curvature of the spine. This book is an education but at least a quarter of the information will be stuff you’ve heard of before and fair share of the rest will make your skin crawl. The good thing is, there’s quite a lot of information you will be reading here for the first time.
The book did throw up one scandal. William Farr, 1807 – 1883, was (it says in Wikipedia, which apparently you should never quote from but I’m being lazy) “a British epidemiologist, regarded as one of the founders of medical statistics” and University College London’s Farr Institute in Bloomsbury is named after him. He is the great example that generations of statisticians now look up to. However, epidemiologists also greatly respect John Snow, who made the classic analysis of a cholera outbreak in 1854 at Broad Street, Soho, London. Snow analysed the spatial pattern of where victims fell sick, then identified the source of the infection as a single water pump; therefore, cholera was transmitted by waterborne germs (Correct – a brilliant and competent scientific deduction. The discipline changed forever). The interesting thing is, Snow’s main opponent, who said that his analysis was rubbish, was William Farr. Farr claimed that cholera was transmitted by bad air (miasma) and the chance of you contracting cholera was related to your height above sea level. That’s the thing about science. Some people get it wrong, then the world laughs, the light of knowledge edges an inch forward against the darkness and over a hundred years later we commemorate people as brilliant when they probably weren’t all of the time. Being a statistical epidemiologist and opposing the most famous correct experiment in statistical epidemiology sounds a bit duff, in hindsight. What a tit.
I liked this book and learned a lot but it is fact, not fiction, so I’ll be passing it on. Possibly in Bloomsbury.
February 12, 2018
Author (and doctor) David Haviland sent me an ecopy of How to Remove a Brain and Other Bizarre Medical Practices.
How to Remove a Brain... is a fun read. Especially if you enjoy bizarre humor (and yes I do). The procedure for removing a brain was actually one of the few practices I already knew. Some of the others are downright hilarious. If you are not careful you may actually learn something.
A couple things I learned: What it means to be a "toady" and where "blowing smoke" came from.
We see a lot of things that make us think "are you kidding me? They really believed that?" I had a lot of fun reading some of the examples to my wife.
Dr. Haviland has an engaging style and that wonderful dry British humor (humour) that I enjoy.
While I rarely review non-fiction books, How to Remove a Brain and Other Bizarre Medical Practices, by David Haviland is very entertaining and informative and I'm glad I gave it a chance. If bizarre yet true humor tickles your fancy, try this one out. Enjoy!
Mike
How to Remove a Brain... is a fun read. Especially if you enjoy bizarre humor (and yes I do). The procedure for removing a brain was actually one of the few practices I already knew. Some of the others are downright hilarious. If you are not careful you may actually learn something.
A couple things I learned: What it means to be a "toady" and where "blowing smoke" came from.
We see a lot of things that make us think "are you kidding me? They really believed that?" I had a lot of fun reading some of the examples to my wife.
Dr. Haviland has an engaging style and that wonderful dry British humor (humour) that I enjoy.
While I rarely review non-fiction books, How to Remove a Brain and Other Bizarre Medical Practices, by David Haviland is very entertaining and informative and I'm glad I gave it a chance. If bizarre yet true humor tickles your fancy, try this one out. Enjoy!
Mike
May 11, 2019
39/52 books read in 2019.
Provided by NetGalley and the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This is an extremely fun book covering an extensive amount of anecdotes about the weird and wacky history and present state of modern medicine. Most of the stories were new to me, or corrected my recollection of the tale, and a lot of them made me giggle or scratch my head.
The only reason this lovely book does not get the full five stars is because I wished there was an introduction to start off the collection. That would have tied it all together.
Provided by NetGalley and the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This is an extremely fun book covering an extensive amount of anecdotes about the weird and wacky history and present state of modern medicine. Most of the stories were new to me, or corrected my recollection of the tale, and a lot of them made me giggle or scratch my head.
The only reason this lovely book does not get the full five stars is because I wished there was an introduction to start off the collection. That would have tied it all together.
January 17, 2019
What good fun this book is! Filled with medical trivia, it entertains and educates at the same time. The author has done his research, and approaches his subject with a light-hearted approach that makes the book a joy to read, whilst imparting much knowledge along the way. Well written, gently debunking some medical myths, yet always keeping to the facts, this is the sort of book that makes an ideal present for – well, just about everyone!
January 13, 2019
This quirky collection of interesting medical facts and historical bits educates while it entertains. All the entries are quick to read yet thought-provoking, and share an unexpected element of wackiness. Plenty of helpful takeaways, from pathological trivia to fascinating word etymology - who wouldn't want to know that Anaesthesia was for a time a fashionable name for newborn girls, or the origin of the term "blowing smoke up ones ass"? Personally I found this book really funny, but even if you don't share my sense of humor, there are so many other aspects I'm sure you'd appreciate!
January 23, 2013
Little vignettes of bizarre medical stories. Fun and educational. Recommended for fans of Horrible Histories
April 4, 2019
Hugely entertaining and informative - an accessible blend of accurate medical information, historical snippets and weird things...
March 5, 2018
The medical community since Egyptian times has mad an amazing number of advances, but surprisingly, the primitives of the dusty past had some of it right, while much of it was quite barbarically wrong.
From Egyptian brain surgery to Cesarean birth, with every possible outlandish idea in between, David Haviland exposes medical science, and the lack thereof, for what it's been down through the ages. With fascinating tidbits of trivia concerning snake oil and quacks, and why we call them that, the author unpacks and analyzes purported myths like whether Jack the Ripper was a doctor, whether surgical instruments get left in patients, whether criminals harvest organs, why the stethoscope was invented, where birthing forceps were invented, early medical theories like bleeding and miasmas, versus germ theory and the accidental discovery of X-rays.
My Take:
This book was an interesting ride of medical trivia, and I found it quite entertaining and well written. The style was engaging and a bit titillating, the facts generally checked out when I took trouble to check them.
Content:
Even though this is a non-fiction book, figured I'd better put a bit about the content in here.
Violence:
PG - The ravages of many diseases, and post surgical infections are discussed with some candor, and the violence of certain serial killers is described with a light level of detail.
Language:
R - While the majority of the book is squeaky clean, there is an interesting chapter on doctor's shorthand that drops the F-bomb multiple times, as well as a few other expletives.
Adult Content:
R+ - There is quite a bit of medical information on breast enlargement ideas, penile enlargement, and some completely unmentionable other early medical practices that resulted in sterility, death, etc. A frank discussion of bra sizing in the US and abroad, a discourse on STDs, impotence, and sexual contact with patients, as well as early methods of birth control.
Christian content:
Pretty much nada. While the Hippocratic Oath is discussed in some detail, faith of any sort really doesn't hit the pages here.
Final analysis:
While I found this to be an entertaining read, I would not recommend it for teens or below, as it covers some barbaric practices before anesthesia. A light read, easy to put down or thumb through, with many interesting facts, some quite interesting and informative, some just, well, gut-turning. The writing style was decent and the information seemed well-vetted, but I just couldn't quite pull this one up past Four Stars.
*I received an electronic copy for an honest review
From Egyptian brain surgery to Cesarean birth, with every possible outlandish idea in between, David Haviland exposes medical science, and the lack thereof, for what it's been down through the ages. With fascinating tidbits of trivia concerning snake oil and quacks, and why we call them that, the author unpacks and analyzes purported myths like whether Jack the Ripper was a doctor, whether surgical instruments get left in patients, whether criminals harvest organs, why the stethoscope was invented, where birthing forceps were invented, early medical theories like bleeding and miasmas, versus germ theory and the accidental discovery of X-rays.
My Take:
This book was an interesting ride of medical trivia, and I found it quite entertaining and well written. The style was engaging and a bit titillating, the facts generally checked out when I took trouble to check them.
Content:
Even though this is a non-fiction book, figured I'd better put a bit about the content in here.
Violence:
PG - The ravages of many diseases, and post surgical infections are discussed with some candor, and the violence of certain serial killers is described with a light level of detail.
Language:
R - While the majority of the book is squeaky clean, there is an interesting chapter on doctor's shorthand that drops the F-bomb multiple times, as well as a few other expletives.
Adult Content:
R+ - There is quite a bit of medical information on breast enlargement ideas, penile enlargement, and some completely unmentionable other early medical practices that resulted in sterility, death, etc. A frank discussion of bra sizing in the US and abroad, a discourse on STDs, impotence, and sexual contact with patients, as well as early methods of birth control.
Christian content:
Pretty much nada. While the Hippocratic Oath is discussed in some detail, faith of any sort really doesn't hit the pages here.
Final analysis:
While I found this to be an entertaining read, I would not recommend it for teens or below, as it covers some barbaric practices before anesthesia. A light read, easy to put down or thumb through, with many interesting facts, some quite interesting and informative, some just, well, gut-turning. The writing style was decent and the information seemed well-vetted, but I just couldn't quite pull this one up past Four Stars.
*I received an electronic copy for an honest review
May 19, 2019
Read More Book Reviews on my blog
It's Good To Read
Summary:
This is one of those books where you can get a whole load of squeamish and interesting facts and stories, that can be thrown casually into conversation.
Plot:
The author takes us through a journey over ten chapters, covering areas such as the Wisdom of the Ancients [interesting approach to contraception, for example, and possibly the first case of plastic surgery, up to the Doctrine of Signatures], then progresses to various Disgusting Diseases, the Human Body, to latter-day charlatans.
There are delightful asides (e.g. Hitler being addicted to crystal meth – who knew??), everyone blaming each other for catching syphilis, until they all agreed it was the French (the French pox). The poor French get lumbered with a lot of other stuff – French letters, French leave, French kissing.. ooh la la!!
However, we DID get French Wine Coca, which thanks to Prohibition became Coca-Cola!
The author describes to us various types of medical “treatments” (some of the diseases were frankly better than the cure), and how the stethoscope came to be invented. He also points out the futility of hunting rhino and tigers, as their horns & appendages won’t give you “that boost”. Interestingly, he says it Is the West that seeks to have these alternative treatments, an are the real drivers behind the shameful and disgusting destruction of these creatures.
What I Liked:
- I thought the chapter progression was well structured.
- Loads of great trivia!
- Very entertaining, with quite a few gulp! moments (about the too-fast surgeon and the left testicle of his patient…)
What I Didn’t Like:
- Not much.
Overall:
A fun, light and easy read. This book is up for the People's Book Prize, and deserves a vote! Very informative, and great for trivia buffs. It is reassuring to see how far medicine has progressed (excepting the story about what’s left behind after surgery, maybe..) but a thoroughly enjoyable read. Recommended!
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to the author who sent me a .mobi, in return for an honest and objective review.
Summary:
This is one of those books where you can get a whole load of squeamish and interesting facts and stories, that can be thrown casually into conversation.
Plot:
The author takes us through a journey over ten chapters, covering areas such as the Wisdom of the Ancients [interesting approach to contraception, for example, and possibly the first case of plastic surgery, up to the Doctrine of Signatures], then progresses to various Disgusting Diseases, the Human Body, to latter-day charlatans.
There are delightful asides (e.g. Hitler being addicted to crystal meth – who knew??), everyone blaming each other for catching syphilis, until they all agreed it was the French (the French pox). The poor French get lumbered with a lot of other stuff – French letters, French leave, French kissing.. ooh la la!!
However, we DID get French Wine Coca, which thanks to Prohibition became Coca-Cola!
The author describes to us various types of medical “treatments” (some of the diseases were frankly better than the cure), and how the stethoscope came to be invented. He also points out the futility of hunting rhino and tigers, as their horns & appendages won’t give you “that boost”. Interestingly, he says it Is the West that seeks to have these alternative treatments, an are the real drivers behind the shameful and disgusting destruction of these creatures.
What I Liked:
- I thought the chapter progression was well structured.
- Loads of great trivia!
- Very entertaining, with quite a few gulp! moments (about the too-fast surgeon and the left testicle of his patient…)
What I Didn’t Like:
- Not much.
Overall:
A fun, light and easy read. This book is up for the People's Book Prize, and deserves a vote! Very informative, and great for trivia buffs. It is reassuring to see how far medicine has progressed (excepting the story about what’s left behind after surgery, maybe..) but a thoroughly enjoyable read. Recommended!
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to the author who sent me a .mobi, in return for an honest and objective review.
September 10, 2017
How to Remove A Brain: and other bizarre medical practices and procedures by David Haviland, 154 pages, Thistle Publishing, August 10th 2017, Genre: Reference/Trivia/Curiosities and Wonders.
Review by Leigh Holland.
How to Remove A Brain is a delightful, if sometimes gross and indelicate, read covering some of the oddest and quirkiest medical practices throughout Western history. The book is organized into ten chapters into which trivia is organized by time and/or topic, such as “The Wisdom of the Ancients”, “Disgusting Diseases”, and “Dodgy Diagnosis”.
Each chapter starts with a quote from a famous individual regarding medicine. My favorite quote was under Chapter Four, Curious Cures: “He’s the best physician that knows the worthlessness of most medicines.” -Benjamin Franklin. The trivia is set up in question and answer format for an engaging read. Examples of some of the questions you’ll find the answers to in this work are:
Why was urine used to wash battlefield wounds?
Was Adolf Hitler addicted to crystal meth?
Which disease was thought to be cured by leading the patient three times around a pig sty, while wearing a donkey’s halter?
Why was Edward Jenner rejected by the College of Physicians?
Who was the real Sherlock Holmes?
Was a derided female scientist the true discoverer of the structure of DNA?
Was Abraham Lincoln poisoned?
Why is it that so many murderers are doctors?
Perhaps one of my favorite topics in this book was “How accurate is the presentation of medicine on TV and in films?” True, it isn’t as fun as finding out if Hitler was addicted to crystal meth, but I found the answer quite informative nonetheless. I also enjoyed learning trivia about bras and boobs. Yes, bras and boobs, that’s what I said. If you’re fascinated by the quirks of medicine and its trivia, you’ll love this book. So if you want to find out what a paraffinoma is or what diseases the Elephant Man really suffered from, pick up this tome of medical trivia.
Review by Leigh Holland.
How to Remove A Brain is a delightful, if sometimes gross and indelicate, read covering some of the oddest and quirkiest medical practices throughout Western history. The book is organized into ten chapters into which trivia is organized by time and/or topic, such as “The Wisdom of the Ancients”, “Disgusting Diseases”, and “Dodgy Diagnosis”.
Each chapter starts with a quote from a famous individual regarding medicine. My favorite quote was under Chapter Four, Curious Cures: “He’s the best physician that knows the worthlessness of most medicines.” -Benjamin Franklin. The trivia is set up in question and answer format for an engaging read. Examples of some of the questions you’ll find the answers to in this work are:
Why was urine used to wash battlefield wounds?
Was Adolf Hitler addicted to crystal meth?
Which disease was thought to be cured by leading the patient three times around a pig sty, while wearing a donkey’s halter?
Why was Edward Jenner rejected by the College of Physicians?
Who was the real Sherlock Holmes?
Was a derided female scientist the true discoverer of the structure of DNA?
Was Abraham Lincoln poisoned?
Why is it that so many murderers are doctors?
Perhaps one of my favorite topics in this book was “How accurate is the presentation of medicine on TV and in films?” True, it isn’t as fun as finding out if Hitler was addicted to crystal meth, but I found the answer quite informative nonetheless. I also enjoyed learning trivia about bras and boobs. Yes, bras and boobs, that’s what I said. If you’re fascinated by the quirks of medicine and its trivia, you’ll love this book. So if you want to find out what a paraffinoma is or what diseases the Elephant Man really suffered from, pick up this tome of medical trivia.
August 4, 2017
How to remove a brain is a fun collection of trivia, weird science, chicanery and medical based factoids.
The writing style is chatty and informal and especially for medical/science type books, completely accessible. The book is broken into very short articles which are grouped with related subjects.
The subjects are well researched and the science is accurate. I really appreciated that. The subjects range from medieval medical practices (generally ineffective if not downright scary (and harmful)) to scientific history and famous scientists (Semmelweis, Pasteur, Rosalind Franklin, etc).
I really enjoyed reading the entries which are short enough to fit into any spare time standing in queue etc. I think that this book would appeal to any trivia fan and/or science curious person (9 year old me would have LOVED this book! :)
There are some articles which are somewhat graphic (as the title indicates) but nothing too objectionable in my opinion. (There are, however, some fairly horrific historical medical practices described along with charlatans throughout history).
My only real objection is how abruptly the book ends. Last entry just -ends- without any sort of tying together of themes or real ending. It didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the book, but it was surprising (I went looking to see if I had not downloaded the entire book or if there was some mistake with my copy... there wasn't, it just ends).
Love the science, love the history. A fun/interesting/trivia filled read. I am a professional scientist, working in healthcare and I am not at all ashamed to admit I learned several things from this book which I'd never heard before (like the origin of the word 'toady' ). Cool stuff
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
The writing style is chatty and informal and especially for medical/science type books, completely accessible. The book is broken into very short articles which are grouped with related subjects.
The subjects are well researched and the science is accurate. I really appreciated that. The subjects range from medieval medical practices (generally ineffective if not downright scary (and harmful)) to scientific history and famous scientists (Semmelweis, Pasteur, Rosalind Franklin, etc).
I really enjoyed reading the entries which are short enough to fit into any spare time standing in queue etc. I think that this book would appeal to any trivia fan and/or science curious person (9 year old me would have LOVED this book! :)
There are some articles which are somewhat graphic (as the title indicates) but nothing too objectionable in my opinion. (There are, however, some fairly horrific historical medical practices described along with charlatans throughout history).
My only real objection is how abruptly the book ends. Last entry just -ends- without any sort of tying together of themes or real ending. It didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the book, but it was surprising (I went looking to see if I had not downloaded the entire book or if there was some mistake with my copy... there wasn't, it just ends).
Love the science, love the history. A fun/interesting/trivia filled read. I am a professional scientist, working in healthcare and I am not at all ashamed to admit I learned several things from this book which I'd never heard before (like the origin of the word 'toady' ). Cool stuff
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
January 10, 2019
How To Remove A Brain and Other Bizarre Medical Practices by David Haviland
First I would like to say I am flattered that David Haviland asked me to read his own personal book he authored. When I got your email asking I thought heck yeah this book is about medical facts which I knew I would devour. Reading this interesting science book about medical practices throughout history. Devour probably is not the right word haha. This is a crazy ride through medical facts while the author makes it interesting, this book will grab your attention. Be warned if you have a weak stomach. I couldn't read the maggot part, the only part I skipped. I was amazed by how far certain things went so far back in time: gum, x-rays, syphilis, blood transfusions, meth, arsenic, forceps, and stethoscopes to name a few. All these stories have one things in common: medical. Bizarre medical treatments, how surgical procedures were done back in the day, how medical subjects got their names, why there are so many doctors that murder (makes sense). More examples discussed in this book include vomiting, fear, chocolate (yes chocolate), drinking urine, chloroform, CPR, and yes taxi drivers. My favorite chapter is Public Health, found it very interesting. In closing I'm thankful I wasn't born in those days. Also thankful a lot of these subjects have come along way like birth control etc.
First I would like to say I am flattered that David Haviland asked me to read his own personal book he authored. When I got your email asking I thought heck yeah this book is about medical facts which I knew I would devour. Reading this interesting science book about medical practices throughout history. Devour probably is not the right word haha. This is a crazy ride through medical facts while the author makes it interesting, this book will grab your attention. Be warned if you have a weak stomach. I couldn't read the maggot part, the only part I skipped. I was amazed by how far certain things went so far back in time: gum, x-rays, syphilis, blood transfusions, meth, arsenic, forceps, and stethoscopes to name a few. All these stories have one things in common: medical. Bizarre medical treatments, how surgical procedures were done back in the day, how medical subjects got their names, why there are so many doctors that murder (makes sense). More examples discussed in this book include vomiting, fear, chocolate (yes chocolate), drinking urine, chloroform, CPR, and yes taxi drivers. My favorite chapter is Public Health, found it very interesting. In closing I'm thankful I wasn't born in those days. Also thankful a lot of these subjects have come along way like birth control etc.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews