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Strange Medicine: A Shocking History of Real Medical Practices Through the Ages Paperback – July 2, 2013

by
Nathan Belofsky (Author)
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Nathan Belofsky (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars 20 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Perigee Books; 1 edition (July 2, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0399159959
  • ISBN-13: 978-0399159954
  • Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 0.6 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Strange Medicine is like visiting The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices
By Cheryl Koch VINE VOICE on July 8, 2013
Format: Paperback
As I was reading this book I was telling my husband about all of the different techniques throughout the ages of time that the many physicians believed in for treating the many ailments that people had. For example: If you wanted to cure your teeth grinding the back in the 460BC era then you might have been instructed to sleep next to a human skull for seven days while kissing and licking it for the duration of the seven days.

Another well known doctor was Dr. Benjamin Rush. Dr. Rush was really known for his treatment of the mentally ill. He would pour acid on the patient's back and cut them with a knife. He would keep the patient's wounds open for months or even years. He thought that this would smooth the progress of dispelling the discharge from the patient's brain and in essence cure them. He also recommended starving the patients hearing that this helped wild elephants in India.

My husband at one point turned to me and said "Why was I reading this book?" I told him because I wanted to read up on the different medical practices and I thought this book sounded interesting. Well I can tell you that you will not be bored reading this book. In fact, this book is more of a read out loud type of book. Strange Medicine is like visiting The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices without actually visiting the museum. This book is worth every penny.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Interesting, but not the most detailed or well-composed
By Carmen on July 7, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I read this book after seeing it referenced on another website.
I generally liked the subject matter, learning about how modern medicine got where it is today can be quite interesting in a morbid sort of way. Unfortunately, while it covers a long range of history and a variety of medical ailments, this book barely scratches the surface- I kept wishing for more detail. It's written in a lighthearted way that's easy to read, but it almost felt like a rough draft, and at times, like it could've been written by a high schooler. It was almost like the author had such a wealth of information (no doubt this is the case) that in order to include it, he had to keep each topic extremely brief.
A good read as an introduction to historical medicine, but if you want hearty information, this just won't satisfy.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Horrors and Accidental Discoveries in Medical History!
By Viviane Crystal VINE VOICE on July 12, 2013
Format: Paperback
The path to modern medicine is strewn with helpful and malignant practices, all of which are wondrous to the modern reader. The earliest theories most of us have heard are included which concern the four humors of the body believed to cause health and disease, blood, black bile, yellow bile or phlegm. In ancient Rome the first doctors were better known as "executioners." Little was known about the human body and experimentation by analysis of internal anatomy was mostly forbidden until the time of Leonardo da Vinci when cadavers were used to study the body.
Add to that the superstitions of the ancient world where some believed illness arrived via the presence of ghosts, elves, or other malignant, demonic spirits. Therefore one could reason that such dangerous beings called for severe measures. But what does one think when considering the use of electric eels attached to the head to treat migraine headaches? Or what about using branding irons to cauterize parts of the head until bone was exposed? Sounds gruesome but burning away, on par with later uses of leeches to purge the blood of illness at the time seemed quite logical.
On the other hand, the well-known Hildegard of Bingen's (12th Century) believed the origins of all sickness were linked to lungs, spleen and liver, a theory that many alternative medicine practitioners today follow with substantial success. Or one could read about the 19th Century practitioner Mandt prescribed a laxative for the first time for a patient who had swallowed a snake.
The terrors of surgery were quite real to almost all patients in the nineteenth century where gangrene, lack of anesthesia, and surgical errors proved deadly to far too many victims.Read more ›
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
YIKES
By Martha on November 7, 2013
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I only say I like it because it is tough to read for any length of time. But if you want to feel great about living in a century where they don't bleed, burn, leach, and torture you with cow dung or some other craziness read this book! The amazing thing is how even at the turn of the century craziness was still going on. Good book just tough to take in large doses. If you are going somewhere and need short chapters this is a good book.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Strange Medicine -- Strange Practices
By C. S. Garcia on September 20, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Found this book amusing (occasionally), absolutely horrifying (many times), and interesting (at all times). I knew of some of the things doctors did through the ages, like blood-letting, but did not realize that this practice killed our first president, George Washington! Or that it was still being done one hundred years later! And I had previously read that mercury was used to try to cure sexually transmitted diseases, but did not realize that it was used for other diseases and medical conditions as well, or the excessive amounts used. It's a wonder more people weren't killed by doctors. And, now I understand a bit more why people were so scared to go to hospitals for centuries, even through the early decades of the 20th century. As Doctor McCoy would say centuries in the future about our current medical practices, "barbaric."
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

Four Stars

Nice book.

Published 14 days ago by Stephen C. McComas
Interesting read

It was very interesting to see where medicine got its barbaric start. It's no wonder the life expectancy was so low.

Published 1 month ago by A. W. Teets
Highly recommend to those who enjoy the bizarre

Weird in a good way. If you enjoy reading about gritty historical medical treatment, this is for you. I really enjoyed it. No illistrations, but didn't need them. . Read more

Published 4 months ago by Dea Martin
Five Stars

This was a gift for my daughter.

Published 7 months ago by Alexandra V Miskimon
Five Stars

give it as a gift

Published 10 months ago by janet flagge
interesting read

interesting read. I've been in medicine for over 45 years now, and I find this book fascinating to read.

Published 14 months ago by Amazon Customer
Belofsky's book will make you grateful for how far the practice of...

STRANGE MEDICINE: A SHOCKING HISTORY OF REAL MEDICAL PRACTICES THROUGH THE AGES (Perigee) by Nathan Belofsky is a book that will make you grateful for how far the practice of... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Blaine Greenfield
Random Collection of Old Medical Mistakes!

This book is a randomly organized set of factoids about the gross, gruesome, and misinformed medical practices that dominated much of human history before the advent of modern... Read more

Published 21 months ago by Amazon Customer
Superb History of Medical Treatments

This book has taught me a lot about the history of medical treatments from ancient times to modern times. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Amazon Customer
In Need of a Good Editor

This book would have been so much better if it was edited differently. While roughly by period of history Belofsky often goes back and forth in time within one section. Read more

Published 24 months ago by DarnHeather

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