Want to know why Victorian doctors never washed their clothes? Who to call for a bad case of medieval bewitchment? Or how to cure the plague by staring at a toad?

From Leeches to Lasers is a whistle-stop tour of the grisly, glorious, and ingeniously inventive history of medicine, all the way from the ancient world right up to the twenty-first century. Immerse yourself in blood, boils, and bandages as you uncover how to treat tumours, battle bacterial infections and rustle up home remedies. Plus, along the way, meet swashbuckling surgeons, mad physicians, cunning lady herbalists, and – most importantly – some very brave patients!

Dipping into history’s major medical events (move over COVID 19, the Black Plague is here), this book covers ancient operations, medieval maladies, and wartime cures. You’ll uncover the medicine made by mistake, the out-there experimenters who used themselves as test subjects, and how some crazy cures have actually been shown to really work today. It's a journey not for the faint-hearted!