Medical London: City of Diseases, City of Cures: Two thousand years of life and death in London

by Richard Barnett, Mike Jay (Editor)

A stunningly-presented guide to London's past that charts the many roles that diseases, treatments and cures have played in the city's sprawling story—and how London, in turn, has shaped the professions and practices of modern medicine. A unique, stunningly-presented guide to London's past and a treasure trove of information for historians, residents, medical professionals and tourists, Medical London charts the many roles that diseases, treatments and cures have played in the city's sprawling story. It also reveals how London, in turn, has shaped the professions and practices of modern medicine. Medical London comprises three parts: A volume of essays exploring some of the threads that medicine has woven through London life, from its earliest beginnings to the multicultural metropolis of today: its roles in contagion and sanitation, in wealth and its consumption, in empire and immigration, in pleasure and in madness. A definitive guide to London's medical landscape: its museums and hospitals, its grand monuments and secret corners, and the characters and events that lie behind them. Six elegantly designed maps for self-guided walks, from Daniel Defoe's Plague Year wanderings to the druggists of Soho's night haunts, the homeopaths of bohemian Chelsea to the naval surgeons of maritime Greenwich. Published in collaboration with Wellcome Collection.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science, London, Medicine

500 pages, Paperback

First published November 10, 2008

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 3 out of 5]

...Madness might, with comparatively little fuss, be made part of everyday family life."

An insane murderer and an alcoholic with severe mental problems himself are absolutely devoted to each other to the extent of excluding all other romantic interest, brother and sister, and the author writes, in the best and only original part of the whole book:

"The remarkable story of Charles and Mary Lamb reveals some of the ways in which madness might, with comparatively little fuss, be made part of everyday family life."

Is the author crazy? Murder with a successful defence of insanity can just be part of family life? Luckily he's not in charge of either the judiciary or psychiatrists for the criminally insane.

If you don't know the story of Charles and Mary Lamb, the joint authors of the saccharine Tales from Shakespeare, then it's here.
As a young man, Charles Lamb had a mental breakdown and had to be hospitalised Not long after that his older sister Mary lost her temper with her mother and stabbed her to death in a mania. She was put into a private mental home for genteel people for all of six months before being released into the care of her mentally-unstable brother.

The pair of them had their ups and downs mentally - Mary had many downs, Charles became an alcoholic. They wrote the famous and saccharine Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare. Close friends were the Wordsworths where William has long been suspected as being as "close" to his sister (and wife!) as perhaps Charles and Mary were.

Other than that the book is mundane retelling of history from a medical viewpoint of London. From the Romans to the bodysnatchers who supplied corpses from graves or freshly-murdered to anatomy students there isn't anything new here. Just a three star book.

[Dylan Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

An wonderful and varied study of the development of London and how intertwined it's history and medical science are.

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather brilliant boxed set of books: one called "Sick City" which is a collection of essays on various aspects of the medical history of London, six pamphlets designed as tour guides for sights of medical-historical interest in and around London, and one larger full-city tour guide. I might add that the tour guides were of definite interest to me in spite of the fact that I've never been London and don't anticipate going there anytime soon. Any of the books/pamphlets could stand alone and be worth reading in and of itself; all of them together are quite a pleasure.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely set of walking maps (practical to carry, but i didn’t), addresses and details of venues to visit and essays on the history of medicine in London and its influences. Some great knowledge and very worthwhile introduction to the topic of medical history for the capital. Had it on loan and therefore didn’t take the maps out for a walk, but did cover much of the ground of the tours in the city though various visits. Fun to hunt for the statues and buildings mentioned to get a context for the study and practice of medicine.

[mark]

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