Further reading
Elsewhere on open2
Follow your interest
Would you like to take your interest a step further? We've a selection of diverse courses covering health, medicine and history for you to explore. Take a look at our section on taking it further.
If you've been inspired to find out more about medical history, we've suggested a selection of books for you to take a look at.
Books
Blood and Guts. A Short History of Medicine by Roy Porter, published by Penguin, 2003.
A short, entertaining account of medical history.
The Alarming History of Medicine by Richard Gordon, published by St. Martin’s Press, 1997.
One of the many books which focus on the cheerfully gory and morbid aspects of medical history.
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind. A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter published by Fontana, 1999.
An overview of medicine from ancient to modern times, rich in detail, by an outstanding historian of medicine.
The Healing Arts. Health Disease and Society in Europe, 1500-1800 by Peter Elmer (ed.) published by Manchester University Press, 2004.
Medicine Transformed Health Disease and Society in Europe, 1800-1930, by Deborah Brunton (ed.), published by Manchester University Press, 2004.
An account of the most significant developments in medicine from the Renaissance to the twentieth century. These books form the core of the Open University’s course on the history of medicine, but are written in an accessible style, aimed at readers with no previous knowledge of the subject.
The Worst of Evils. The Fight against Pain, by Thomas Dormandy, Yale University Press, 2006.
An account of the struggle to devise effective anaesthesia and pain relief. By an academic, but written for a general audience.
Biographies
There are many biographies of medical figures. A couple of recent examples are:
The Herbalist. Nicholas Culpeper and the Fight for Medical Freedom by Benjamin Woolley, published by Harper Perennial, 2005.
A life of Nicholas Culpeper, set in the context of 17th century London, and the struggle of the College of Physicians to control medical practice.
The Medical Detective: John Snow and the Mystery of Cholera by Sandra Hempel, published by Granta books, 2006.
An account of John Snow’s struggle to prove that cholera was spread not by dirt and bad smells, but through contaminated water.
Nicholas Culpeper’s Herbal, originally published in the 17th century is currently in print through a number of publishers. Its lists of herbs, their characteristics and medical uses gives a glimpse of medical practice in early modern times.
Content last updated: 12/01/2007
