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Quackery : a brief history of the worst ways to cure everything / Lydia Kang, MD, Nate Pedersen.

Kang, Lydia, (author.). Pedersen, Nate, (author.).

Summary:
"What won't we try in our quest for perfect health, beauty, and the fountain of youth? Well, just imagine a time when doctors prescribed morphine for crying infants. When liquefied gold was touted as immortality in a glass. And when strychnine--yes, that strychnine, the one used in rat poison--was dosed like Viagra. Looking back with fascination, horror, and not a little dash of dark, knowing humor, Quackery recounts the lively, at times unbelievable, history of medical misfires and malpractices. Ranging from the merely weird to the outright dangerous, here are dozens of outlandish, morbidly hilarious "treatments"--conceived by doctors and scientists, by spiritualists and snake oil salesmen (yes, they literally tried to sell snake oil)--that were predicated on a range of cluelessness, trial and error, and straight-up scams. With vintage illustrations, photographs, and advertisements throughout, Quackery seamlessly combines macabre humor with science and storytelling to reveal an important and disturbing side of the ever-evolving field of medicine"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780761189817
  • ISBN: 0761189815
  • Physical Description: viii, 344 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 21 cm
  • Publisher: New York : Workman Publishing, [2017]

Content descriptions

General Note:
Includes index.
Formatted Contents Note:
Elements: prescriptions from the periodic table. Antimony ; Mercury ; Arsenic ; Radium ; Gold -- The women's health hall of shame -- Plants & soil: nature's gifts. Opiates ; Strychnine ; Tobacco ; Cocaine ; Alcohol ; Earth -- The antidotes hall of shame -- Tools: slicing, dicing, dousing & draining. Bloodletting ; Lobotomy ; Cautery & blistering ; Enemas ; Hydrotherapy ; Surgery ; Anesthesia -- The men's health hall of shame -- Animals: creepy crawlies, corpses, and the healing power of the human body. Leeches ; Cannibalism & corpse medicine ; Animal-derived medicines ; Sex ; Fasting -- The weight loss hall of shame -- Mysterious powers: waves, rays, and curious airs. Electricity ; Animal magnetism ; Light ; Radionics ; The king's touch -- The eye care hall of shame -- The cancer cure hall of shame.
Subject: Quacks and quackery > History.
Medicine > History.

Available copies

  • 14 of 15 copies available at SPARK Libraries.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 15 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Abington Community Library 615.856 KANG (Text) 50687011561498 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Albright Memorial Library 615.856 KANG (Text) 50686015267672 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Exeter Community Library 615.856 KAN (Text) 33249023534054 Non-fiction Available -
Glatfelter Memorial Library Adults 615.8 KAN Nonfiction (Text) 34216000899171 Adult Area Checked Out 04/13/2024
Indian Valley Public Library 615.856 Kang Health (Text) 39427103217675 Nonfiction Room: Adult Nonfiction Available -
Joseph & Elizabeth Shaw Public Library 615.8 KANG (Text) 39636100370457 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Palmerton Area Library 615.8 K13 (Text) 30041100265311 Adult Nonfiction Available -
Paul Smith Library of Southern York County Adults 615.8 RIC Nonfiction (Text) 34318001101662 Adult Area Available -
RPL - Northwest Branch Library 615.85609 Kan (Text) 33223008186230 Non-fiction Available -
Reading Public Library RPL - Main 615.85609 Kan (Text) 33223008186222 Non-fiction Available -


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