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Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything
Discover 67 shocking-but-true medical misfires that run the gamut from bizarre to deadly. Like when doctors prescribed morphine for crying infants. When snorting skull moss was a cure for a bloody nose. When consuming mail-order tapeworms was a latter-day fad diet. Or when snake oil salesmen peddled strychnine (used in rat poison) as an aphrodisiac in the '60s. Seamlessly combining macabre humor with hard science and compelling storytelling, Quackery is a visually rich and information-packed exploration of history's most outlandish cures, experiments, and scams.
A humorous book that delves into some of the wacky but true ways that humans have looked to cure their ills. Leeches, mercury, strychnine, and lobotomies are a few of the topics that explore the lengths society has gone in the search for health.
A humorous book that delves into some of the wacky but true ways that humans have looked to cure their ills. Leeches, mercury, strychnine, and lobotomies are a few of the topics that explore the lengths society has gone in the search for health.
344 pages, Hardcover
First published October 17, 2017
1,802 people are currently reading
18.4k people want to read
About the author
Lydia Kang
25books2,301followersI love salt more than chocolate. I'm somewhat small, yet deceptively strong. Sort of like an ant.
I'm a part time doc, full time family member, and if you offer me snacks, I'll be a friend for life.
My adult fiction centers around historical mysteries in New York City, with splashes of forensics, anatomy, apothecary medicine, and chemistry! A BEAUTIFUL POISON takes place in 1918 at the height of the influenza epidemic; THE IMPOSSIBLE GIRL centers around the illegal grave robbing world; and forthcoming in July 2020 is OPIUM AND ABSINTHE, with--you guessed it--opium and absinthe. And possibly vampires!
I have a nonfiction adult book written with Nate Pederson entitled QUACKERY: A Short History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything, coming in 2017 (Workman).
My most recent YA novel is TOXIC, a space opera about a created, teen girl who's abandoned on a biological spaceship, and the mercenary boy doomed to die on it. I've also written THE NOVEMBER GIRL, set on a remote island on Lake Superior. A girl with violence running through her veins meets a boy running away from an abusive home life. Both from Entangled Teen/Macmillan.
I'm also part of the new anthology, COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, with Soho Teen coming in 2019!
My YA sci-fi novel, CONTROL, debuted December 2013 (Dial/Penguin). The sequel, CATALYST, released March 2015 (Kathy Dawson Books/Penguin). I released a short story in the dark YA anthology, AMONG THE SHADOWS October 2015.
I'm a part time doc, full time family member, and if you offer me snacks, I'll be a friend for life.
My adult fiction centers around historical mysteries in New York City, with splashes of forensics, anatomy, apothecary medicine, and chemistry! A BEAUTIFUL POISON takes place in 1918 at the height of the influenza epidemic; THE IMPOSSIBLE GIRL centers around the illegal grave robbing world; and forthcoming in July 2020 is OPIUM AND ABSINTHE, with--you guessed it--opium and absinthe. And possibly vampires!
I have a nonfiction adult book written with Nate Pederson entitled QUACKERY: A Short History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything, coming in 2017 (Workman).
My most recent YA novel is TOXIC, a space opera about a created, teen girl who's abandoned on a biological spaceship, and the mercenary boy doomed to die on it. I've also written THE NOVEMBER GIRL, set on a remote island on Lake Superior. A girl with violence running through her veins meets a boy running away from an abusive home life. Both from Entangled Teen/Macmillan.
I'm also part of the new anthology, COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, with Soho Teen coming in 2019!
My YA sci-fi novel, CONTROL, debuted December 2013 (Dial/Penguin). The sequel, CATALYST, released March 2015 (Kathy Dawson Books/Penguin). I released a short story in the dark YA anthology, AMONG THE SHADOWS October 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,343 reviews
October 24, 2021
"Knight, victorian lady, Dandy gentlemen,� do you want to be cured or die?" „Where´s the difference?� "I fear there isn´t any, except that you have to pay me for torturing you." „Please let me die naturally without extra inflicted pain." "Nope, I am sorry, that might be impossible."
Unbelievable that of all this happened, both as quackery and as conventional, taught medical practice. Everyone knows the one or other strange tale about something like bloodletting, lobotomies and medicine closer to torture until death than to a cure. But it was real and the black comedy style so-called physicians and miracle healers used to try to help their patients can in retrospective just be seen with disgust, disbelief or other emotions, depending on the readers' character. Rofl.
They tried everything to kill and harm their patients, be it from plants or animal poisons, man-made mixtures, any chemicals or obscure cures involving physics, nothing has been left out in a field that still had to become modern medicine. I mean, those freaking lunatics made, in their immense stupidity. coining the term Semmelweis reflex possible. In the 19th century, surgeons were stubborn as little kids and refused to wash their swift fingers before doing operations or between operations or anytime. „I will just rub the blood and pus in the napkin before eating your delicious meal honey, cause you know, the dirt makes the taste. It was a hard day, had 25 births and 12 surgeries, may you hand me a piece of cake, thanks, no, I don´t need a plate.� It made no large difference if one searched help from a snake oil salesman or a studied physician, just good luck and a strong constitution could save one.
In the cases of tobacco, cocaine, heroin, etc. there were financial backgrounds too, because if there was an added bonus level of addictive properties, even more fabulous money money could be made than with just brewing together any strange wonder cure. Of course today, with the FDA and similar government authorities around the globe, it´s not as bad in the past, but wherever public and private interests collide, trouble and collateral long time damage is sure.
What came to my mind after finishing the book is how many unknown, well-intentioned, possibly bit lobby clean-washed mega quackeries we might have going on in the field of science, nutrition, medicine, let´s just say everywhere. As mindless and lunatic the cures of the past might have been, they were to certain extent unavoidable to partly innocent and in contrast to that, our actual problems with scientific research regarding funding, objectivity, industry interests, etc. could lead to some funny to painful to deadly surprises of much larger scale in the future, because there are much more test dummies around today in those real-life, long-time experiments going on whenever one takes a bite of a highly processed food or a fancy new pill or just moves and lives in environments filled with so many new materials, radiations, etc..
The cures of the past killed at least just the ones with the bad luck of coming in contact with the caricature of a doctor, but today nearly anyone is involved. Of course, general fraud by tricksters will stay a topic because humans are humans, but compared to institutionalized problems we´ve created ourselves it seems unimportant.
A wiki walk can be as refreshing to the mind as a walk through nature in this completely overrated real life outside books:
Unbelievable that of all this happened, both as quackery and as conventional, taught medical practice. Everyone knows the one or other strange tale about something like bloodletting, lobotomies and medicine closer to torture until death than to a cure. But it was real and the black comedy style so-called physicians and miracle healers used to try to help their patients can in retrospective just be seen with disgust, disbelief or other emotions, depending on the readers' character. Rofl.
They tried everything to kill and harm their patients, be it from plants or animal poisons, man-made mixtures, any chemicals or obscure cures involving physics, nothing has been left out in a field that still had to become modern medicine. I mean, those freaking lunatics made, in their immense stupidity. coining the term Semmelweis reflex possible. In the 19th century, surgeons were stubborn as little kids and refused to wash their swift fingers before doing operations or between operations or anytime. „I will just rub the blood and pus in the napkin before eating your delicious meal honey, cause you know, the dirt makes the taste. It was a hard day, had 25 births and 12 surgeries, may you hand me a piece of cake, thanks, no, I don´t need a plate.� It made no large difference if one searched help from a snake oil salesman or a studied physician, just good luck and a strong constitution could save one.
In the cases of tobacco, cocaine, heroin, etc. there were financial backgrounds too, because if there was an added bonus level of addictive properties, even more fabulous money money could be made than with just brewing together any strange wonder cure. Of course today, with the FDA and similar government authorities around the globe, it´s not as bad in the past, but wherever public and private interests collide, trouble and collateral long time damage is sure.
What came to my mind after finishing the book is how many unknown, well-intentioned, possibly bit lobby clean-washed mega quackeries we might have going on in the field of science, nutrition, medicine, let´s just say everywhere. As mindless and lunatic the cures of the past might have been, they were to certain extent unavoidable to partly innocent and in contrast to that, our actual problems with scientific research regarding funding, objectivity, industry interests, etc. could lead to some funny to painful to deadly surprises of much larger scale in the future, because there are much more test dummies around today in those real-life, long-time experiments going on whenever one takes a bite of a highly processed food or a fancy new pill or just moves and lives in environments filled with so many new materials, radiations, etc..
The cures of the past killed at least just the ones with the bad luck of coming in contact with the caricature of a doctor, but today nearly anyone is involved. Of course, general fraud by tricksters will stay a topic because humans are humans, but compared to institutionalized problems we´ve created ourselves it seems unimportant.
A wiki walk can be as refreshing to the mind as a walk through nature in this completely overrated real life outside books:
July 27, 2024
What would you say if in the will by a departed relative you were left everlasting poop pills? Do you know that in the US the use of caduceus to symbolize medicine � those two snakes wrapped around the rod) was just a mistake instead of the Rod of Asclepius? And that “blowing smoke up your arse� was supposedly a valid medical treatment? Just imagine enjoying your tobacco smoke coffee enema while guzzling down some arsenic-laden mercury and adding a tad of radium to your morning coffee (before that coffee can be used in an enema) or maybe replacing that coffee with strychnine energy drink while munching on some clay (oh wait, some still do in in the 21st century because quackery rocks) and treating hemorrhoids with anal dilators?
But what else to do if bloodletting and lobotomy and blistering and eating tapeworms to lose weight fails in curing it all?
I had a blast reading this book about all the quackery that was known as medicine through the centuries of human stupidity and desire to live well. And on reread it hasn’t lost any of its hilarious and terrifying appeal. It’s flippantly fun and delightfully sarcastic and cleverly entertaining.
As much fun as relistening to this book on audio was for long walks, I have to recommend the incredibly sexy hardcover that is just physically pleasant to read. I tend to shrug when people praise the loveliness of physical books, but with this one I’ll join the chorus.
It really defies any logic - the lengths people would go to with the obviously horrific treatments, although it’s also surprising how many of the peddlers of awful pseudo-cures actually seemed to believe in what they preached. But still � I can laugh at cures from the depths of time, but Rosemary Kennedy’s lobotomy only a couple decades removed from people successfully landing on the Moon reminds me that we humans are lucky we haven’t all murdered each other with our “cures�.
(Of course, at this point there’s still Goop and celebrities eating clay and don’t get me started on the healing power of crystals, so I suppose we are just as prone to quackery as anyone else).
4 stars.
—ĔĔĔĔ�
Also posted on .
But what else to do if bloodletting and lobotomy and blistering and eating tapeworms to lose weight fails in curing it all?
“Then there were antimony pills. Unlike our one-use pharmaceuticals today, these metal pills were heavy, and after passing through the bowels they were often relatively unchanged. They were dutifully retrieved from latrines, washed, and reused over and over again. Talk about recycling. The “everlasting pills� or “perpetual pills� were often lovingly handed down from generation to generation as an heirloom.�
I had a blast reading this book about all the quackery that was known as medicine through the centuries of human stupidity and desire to live well. And on reread it hasn’t lost any of its hilarious and terrifying appeal. It’s flippantly fun and delightfully sarcastic and cleverly entertaining.
“Sometimes, we’re so desperate for a cure, we’ll reach for anything.
Even radioactive suppositories.
Let’s be honest. Being healthy isn’t enough for many of us. We want more � eternal youth, perfect beauty, boundless energy, the virility of Zeus. And herein the quack truly thrives. This is where we start to believe that arsenic wafers will give us that peaches-and-cream complexion and that elusive gold elixirs will fix broken hearts. Hindsight makes it easy to laugh at many of the treatments in the book, but no doubt Dr. Google has assisted you in searching for a simple cure to a pesky problem. None of us are immune to wanting a quick fix. A hundred years ago you might have been the person buying that strychnine tonic!�
As much fun as relistening to this book on audio was for long walks, I have to recommend the incredibly sexy hardcover that is just physically pleasant to read. I tend to shrug when people praise the loveliness of physical books, but with this one I’ll join the chorus.
It really defies any logic - the lengths people would go to with the obviously horrific treatments, although it’s also surprising how many of the peddlers of awful pseudo-cures actually seemed to believe in what they preached. But still � I can laugh at cures from the depths of time, but Rosemary Kennedy’s lobotomy only a couple decades removed from people successfully landing on the Moon reminds me that we humans are lucky we haven’t all murdered each other with our “cures�.
(Of course, at this point there’s still Goop and celebrities eating clay and don’t get me started on the healing power of crystals, so I suppose we are just as prone to quackery as anyone else).
“But behind every misguided treatment—from Ottomans eating clay to keep the plague away to Victorian gents sitting in a mercury steam room for their syphilis to epilepsy sufferers sipping gladiator blood in ancient Rome—is the incredible power of the human desire to live.�
4 stars.
—ĔĔĔĔ�
Also posted on .
December 31, 2017
Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia King is a 2017 Workman Publishing Company publication.
A jaw dropping collection of gruesome and ghastly concoctions and procedures guaranteed to cure whatever ails you� if it doesn’t kill you first.
Before there was an FDA to weed out potentially dangerous ‘snake oil cures', the market was open to all manner of experimental potions and concoctions sold to an unsuspecting public.
This is a fascinating look at some of the most horrifying cases where strychnine and arsenic found its way into tonics designed to cure specific ailments or used for beauty treatments.
As the title suggests this is a very brief history of incredible cure-alls, medical treatments and procedures- It is not a comprehensive tome, full of dry material. Instead, it hits upon the most outrageous instances in history and as such, it makes for an informative and interesting read and is a book that you may want to keep around for reference.
It is unbelievable and shocking at times, and could make some readers a little uncomfortable. While some of these methods may have been well intentioned, none of these so -called cures were proven, studied, analyzed or deemed safe for human use, especially in such large doses or frequency.
But, even when proof surfaced of the danger some of these chemicals posed, cover-ups were not unheard of- such as with the tobacco industry, which cleverly employed doctors to advertise their products.
The chapter on tobacco was particularly interesting on several levels, as was the chapter on cocaine.
But, the second half of the book was dedicated to procedures such as performing a lobotomy, bloodletting, leeches, and the tools! - Which was akin to using torture devices.
Thank goodness, the author chose to use humor as a way of off- setting the more cringe worthy areas of the book.
In fact, I found myself chuckling a few times at the author's dry wit and jokes, which took gallows humor to a whole new level. But, maybe I just have a warped sense of humor.
Even though we do have agencies that test products for long term side effects and safety, and one could go on a long diatribe about the frustrations the FDA can cause when erring on the side of caution, slowing down the process for potentially life- saving drugs, or, on occasion they miss potential dangers, or allow carefully worded descriptions on food labels that are very misleading, there are still many products lining shelves today that promise quick weight loss, miracle cures, and don’t even get me started on the claims many beauty aids try to sell you. Although they are normally safe to use, they hardly produce the dramatic results as advertised.
When you see a disclaimer on a bottle of vitamins declaring it is not backed by the FDA, you may want to do a little research. Many of these over the counter pills, herbs, and tonics could interact with medication, or they just don’t work- period. I’ve used these natural herbs, many times, with various degrees of success, but I do urge caution.
My point, is that charlatans, swindlers and con artists are still as plentiful as they were back centuries ago, often catering to and taking advantage of people who are desperate, looking for a quick beauty or weight loss fix. So, despite our many advances some things never change.
However, I for one, am glad it is a bit harder to poison people with Arsenic, Antimony, or Strychnine. I am also happy we know the dangers of tobacco use and that cocaine is addictive, and surgeons wash their hands and wear surgical gloves, and that their tools are sanitized- so there is that.
Overall, this is a fascinating look back at practices, rituals, and chemicals we once thought were okay to use, but as it turns out- not so much. It also makes me appreciate how far we’ve come medicinally, and thankful we don’t use bugs, snakes, or animals based medicine- (or use them for testing), or depend upon the touch of a King to cure us.
This is a quick read, replete with photographs and drawings, and sketches. This book will appeal to history buffs, science and medicine enthusiasts, or anyone who likes to read educational material, or trivia.
The book is well organized and utterly fascinating!
A jaw dropping collection of gruesome and ghastly concoctions and procedures guaranteed to cure whatever ails you� if it doesn’t kill you first.
Before there was an FDA to weed out potentially dangerous ‘snake oil cures', the market was open to all manner of experimental potions and concoctions sold to an unsuspecting public.
This is a fascinating look at some of the most horrifying cases where strychnine and arsenic found its way into tonics designed to cure specific ailments or used for beauty treatments.
As the title suggests this is a very brief history of incredible cure-alls, medical treatments and procedures- It is not a comprehensive tome, full of dry material. Instead, it hits upon the most outrageous instances in history and as such, it makes for an informative and interesting read and is a book that you may want to keep around for reference.
It is unbelievable and shocking at times, and could make some readers a little uncomfortable. While some of these methods may have been well intentioned, none of these so -called cures were proven, studied, analyzed or deemed safe for human use, especially in such large doses or frequency.
But, even when proof surfaced of the danger some of these chemicals posed, cover-ups were not unheard of- such as with the tobacco industry, which cleverly employed doctors to advertise their products.
The chapter on tobacco was particularly interesting on several levels, as was the chapter on cocaine.
But, the second half of the book was dedicated to procedures such as performing a lobotomy, bloodletting, leeches, and the tools! - Which was akin to using torture devices.
Thank goodness, the author chose to use humor as a way of off- setting the more cringe worthy areas of the book.
In fact, I found myself chuckling a few times at the author's dry wit and jokes, which took gallows humor to a whole new level. But, maybe I just have a warped sense of humor.
Even though we do have agencies that test products for long term side effects and safety, and one could go on a long diatribe about the frustrations the FDA can cause when erring on the side of caution, slowing down the process for potentially life- saving drugs, or, on occasion they miss potential dangers, or allow carefully worded descriptions on food labels that are very misleading, there are still many products lining shelves today that promise quick weight loss, miracle cures, and don’t even get me started on the claims many beauty aids try to sell you. Although they are normally safe to use, they hardly produce the dramatic results as advertised.
When you see a disclaimer on a bottle of vitamins declaring it is not backed by the FDA, you may want to do a little research. Many of these over the counter pills, herbs, and tonics could interact with medication, or they just don’t work- period. I’ve used these natural herbs, many times, with various degrees of success, but I do urge caution.
My point, is that charlatans, swindlers and con artists are still as plentiful as they were back centuries ago, often catering to and taking advantage of people who are desperate, looking for a quick beauty or weight loss fix. So, despite our many advances some things never change.
However, I for one, am glad it is a bit harder to poison people with Arsenic, Antimony, or Strychnine. I am also happy we know the dangers of tobacco use and that cocaine is addictive, and surgeons wash their hands and wear surgical gloves, and that their tools are sanitized- so there is that.
Overall, this is a fascinating look back at practices, rituals, and chemicals we once thought were okay to use, but as it turns out- not so much. It also makes me appreciate how far we’ve come medicinally, and thankful we don’t use bugs, snakes, or animals based medicine- (or use them for testing), or depend upon the touch of a King to cure us.
This is a quick read, replete with photographs and drawings, and sketches. This book will appeal to history buffs, science and medicine enthusiasts, or anyone who likes to read educational material, or trivia.
The book is well organized and utterly fascinating!
October 27, 2017
3.5 Regardless of the less than ideal state of the world today, this is one of those books that at least medically, make one grateful that we were born in today's medical world. This book is incredibly comprehensive and we'll researched. I know most of us have heard of the use of leeches, cold water cures, opium, electro shock therapy and the use of these have made us shudder with the knowledge we have now.
Some of the things in this book I had never heard before. Such as the use of skulls and brain parts of the dead to cure epilepsy, and mummy infused poultices to cure many different ailments. Mercury infusions for syphilis, oil from human fat for pain and also as a cancer treatment. There is so much in this book, even past sex toys and animal derived cures. Nasty, nasty! The background of these things, how they came to be, how they were packaged and sold is part of this thorough book. One thing though that bothered me when it seemed to be overdone is the authors pithy comments, which in the beginning seemed amusing, but began to wear.
How did people survive some of these things? Well of course many didn't, but those that did were amazingly lucky or smart enough to stop taking these things when they seemed to be doing more harm. Probably like many of us did in the world before safe playground equipment, seatbelts and bike helmets.
ARC from Netgalley.
Some of the things in this book I had never heard before. Such as the use of skulls and brain parts of the dead to cure epilepsy, and mummy infused poultices to cure many different ailments. Mercury infusions for syphilis, oil from human fat for pain and also as a cancer treatment. There is so much in this book, even past sex toys and animal derived cures. Nasty, nasty! The background of these things, how they came to be, how they were packaged and sold is part of this thorough book. One thing though that bothered me when it seemed to be overdone is the authors pithy comments, which in the beginning seemed amusing, but began to wear.
How did people survive some of these things? Well of course many didn't, but those that did were amazingly lucky or smart enough to stop taking these things when they seemed to be doing more harm. Probably like many of us did in the world before safe playground equipment, seatbelts and bike helmets.
ARC from Netgalley.
January 31, 2019
|| || || ||
I bought this on impulse a few days ago because it was on sale in the Kindle store and I recognized one of the authors. Lydia Kang writes really inventive medical-themed historical fiction, including THE IMPOSSIBLE GIRL, which I loved. The caliber of her medical writing really shouldn't be surprising since she has an M.D. and, according to her ŷ profile, works as a doctor when she's not penning fiction. I have never heard of Nate Pedersen, the co-author, but if he was working with Kang, I assumed he was awesome. I assumed correctly; this book was awesome.
QUACKERY, as the title suggests, is a history of bunk medical treatments. Some are merely hilarious, whereas others are tragic or perilous. Good health is a concern that has plagued humanity since the dawns of time, and given that we're also afflicted with the grim certainty of our own mortality, it isn't really that surprising that we'd go to extreme measures to ensure not just survival but also a long life.
QUACKERY is like the younger sister of this other book I read, THE ART OF POISON. There's a Latin quote, "," adapted from a quote by Paracelsus, "All things are poison, and nothing is without poison, the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison." Often things that are poisonous can be beneficial in small doses, and things that are beneficial can be poisonous in larger doses. One prime example of something seemingly harmless that can be dangerous in large doses? Water. Obviously water is necessary for life, but if you drink too much of it you can get something called "" which occurs as a result of electrolyte imbalance. It's fitting then that one book focuses primarly on the more malicious applications of these substances (e.g. greed, murder, stupidity), whereas this book, QUACKERY, focuses on people attempting to use these substances for good health (although greed and stupidity feature prominently here, too).
Grossest medical treatment: There were a lot of contenders, but I still can't quite wrap my head around the idea of (which were also mentioned in THE ART OF POISON). Antimony is a heavy metal and toxic. Eating it gives you the sh*ts (in addition to other health problems), and in the 1800s, it was a popular purgative used to clear the bowels. It does not break down in the human body, so the pills largely remained intact after passing through the body, which led them to be called "the everlasting pill." People would fish in their toilets to recover the pills after use, and sometimes they were passed down within the family. You hope they washed them first, but given how gross people were back then, they probably just let them dry off. Barf.
Weirdest medical treatment: Again, tons of contenders, although one that stuck with me was the female medieval doctor 's method for contraception: having a woman take a pair of severed weasel testicles and wearing them in her cleavage. I mean, it could work - seeing your wife or lady friend wearing the castrated byproduct of a small male animal doesn't exactly put you in the mood, and it probably didn't smell great either - but this is probably less medicinal and more WTF.
Most cross-your-legs-and-cry medical treatment: Leeches being applied to the cervix to help with menstrual problems. No thank you, I am moving to space.
Medical treatment I knew about but you might not: Coca-Cola used to contain cocaine and was marketed as a brain tonic. The authors failed to mention the equally interesting corollary: that 7up used to contain small amounts of lithium citrate, and was called "."
QUACKERY was a really great book. I couldn't put it down and have spent the last two days gleefully reciting facts from this book to various people in my social circle (I'm limited somewhat by what is work/socially appropriate, although my family got a kick out of the weasel testicle treatment). If you're interested in history and enjoy knowing random pieces of trivia about a very specialized subject(s), this is the book for you. I am now fully equipped in all sorts of snake oil treatments.
4 to 4.5 stars
November 17, 2020
Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang is a fascinating book with plenty of disgusting ideas that posed as treatments in the past. I liked the interesting ways the author presented the information. Presented cleverly and humorously, despite most treatments or cures were deadly or very gross or painful!
I learned where some saying had originated from! Wow, not what I expected! I would not want to have drowned in the 1800 century! Haha! You will have to read this to find out! I can't write it, the cure is so odd, ŷ and Amazon wouldn't post my review!
This is definitely an interesting read, especially for me being a RN. If you know someone in the health field, they might enjoy this too!
I learned where some saying had originated from! Wow, not what I expected! I would not want to have drowned in the 1800 century! Haha! You will have to read this to find out! I can't write it, the cure is so odd, ŷ and Amazon wouldn't post my review!
This is definitely an interesting read, especially for me being a RN. If you know someone in the health field, they might enjoy this too!
June 28, 2020
Quackery taught me that people have been desperately seeking cures for ailments, real and perceived, for ages. Sometimes that search takes them into disgusting or deadly treatments peddled by others who are taking advantage of that desperation for their own gain.
These human vultures have been called "quacks," among other things.
"But quackery isn't always about pure deception. Though the term is usually defined as the practice and promotion of intentionally fraudulent medical treatments, it also includes situations when people are touting what they truly believe works." pg 1
Unfortunately, even those selling the "remedies" with the best of intentions still managed to kill people.
There seemed to be no end to the creative ways we've poisoned each other with various metals or concocted deadly and addicting brews in the name of health. We've burnt and blistered suffering unfortunates, taken pieces of their skull out to let the evil spirits out of their brains, or ground up human bone and ingested it.
The most disturbing chapter of this book, and there were some serious contenders, was the part about the development of anesthesia.
"Several chapters in the annals of anesthesia were written by some hard-partying, borderline sociopathic characters. So the next time you blissfully awaken from a surgery, remember to thank the child-stranglers, sponge-huffers, and ether frolickers of the past."
Yeah, there have been some awful things done to both animals and people in the name of medicinal research.
The most amusing anecdote in Quackery goes to a section about creative uses of tobacco.
"You know the phrase 'blowing smoke up your ass'? Well, you can disgust your next blind date with the true life medical origin of that phrase. Because literally blowing smoke up someone's ass was a sanctioned resuscitation method in the eighteenth century."
And now you know.
Recommended for readers with a strong stomach who are interested in strange and forgotten medical history.
My book club read this for our June pick but I missed the meeting. I expect an extraordinary conversation was had by all because this book is full of fascinating and disturbing topics of all sorts.
These human vultures have been called "quacks," among other things.
"But quackery isn't always about pure deception. Though the term is usually defined as the practice and promotion of intentionally fraudulent medical treatments, it also includes situations when people are touting what they truly believe works." pg 1
Unfortunately, even those selling the "remedies" with the best of intentions still managed to kill people.
There seemed to be no end to the creative ways we've poisoned each other with various metals or concocted deadly and addicting brews in the name of health. We've burnt and blistered suffering unfortunates, taken pieces of their skull out to let the evil spirits out of their brains, or ground up human bone and ingested it.
The most disturbing chapter of this book, and there were some serious contenders, was the part about the development of anesthesia.
"Several chapters in the annals of anesthesia were written by some hard-partying, borderline sociopathic characters. So the next time you blissfully awaken from a surgery, remember to thank the child-stranglers, sponge-huffers, and ether frolickers of the past."
Yeah, there have been some awful things done to both animals and people in the name of medicinal research.
The most amusing anecdote in Quackery goes to a section about creative uses of tobacco.
"You know the phrase 'blowing smoke up your ass'? Well, you can disgust your next blind date with the true life medical origin of that phrase. Because literally blowing smoke up someone's ass was a sanctioned resuscitation method in the eighteenth century."
And now you know.
Recommended for readers with a strong stomach who are interested in strange and forgotten medical history.
My book club read this for our June pick but I missed the meeting. I expect an extraordinary conversation was had by all because this book is full of fascinating and disturbing topics of all sorts.
July 23, 2019
Interesting and easy to read, and although I enjoyed the jokes in it, it felt like there were too many of them.
April 30, 2021
This falls into the category of books that are both funny and informative.
I particularly loved the first two sections. These chapters cover an era we won’t ever see the likes of again.
Would you like some morphine in soothing syrup for your kids, or how about a heroine prescription for your acne? Surely you won’t say no to cocaine suppositories and radium toothpaste? I also loved the vintage ads that accompanied these sections.
From syphilis and epilepsy to itchy feet and unpleasant neighbours. When a cure is touted as a panacea then you know you need to run in the opposite direction.
Oh, and if you think it’s only the everyday man on the street that falls for charlatans, be assured that even Hitler was a “victim� of some quackery. See chapter on Strychnine. I take comfort in the fact that his health was not up to scratch for many years.
Some sections made me laugh out loud while others felt as if the humor was forced in. As there are two authors, I can’t help but wonder if this had something to do with this slight inconsistency.
As I recently had minor surgery, I also found the chapter on the evolution of anesthesia particularly eye-opening.
There was one section I felt the book was slightly out of date and that is the section on fasting for health and illness.
Many new studies in recent years have come to light on the benefit of fasting but as the book was written 4 years ago, I will let that one slide.
This was a mix between pure quackery and a history of medicine, and it was a pleasure to read.
Recommended.
I particularly loved the first two sections. These chapters cover an era we won’t ever see the likes of again.
Would you like some morphine in soothing syrup for your kids, or how about a heroine prescription for your acne? Surely you won’t say no to cocaine suppositories and radium toothpaste? I also loved the vintage ads that accompanied these sections.
From syphilis and epilepsy to itchy feet and unpleasant neighbours. When a cure is touted as a panacea then you know you need to run in the opposite direction.
Oh, and if you think it’s only the everyday man on the street that falls for charlatans, be assured that even Hitler was a “victim� of some quackery. See chapter on Strychnine. I take comfort in the fact that his health was not up to scratch for many years.
Some sections made me laugh out loud while others felt as if the humor was forced in. As there are two authors, I can’t help but wonder if this had something to do with this slight inconsistency.
As I recently had minor surgery, I also found the chapter on the evolution of anesthesia particularly eye-opening.
There was one section I felt the book was slightly out of date and that is the section on fasting for health and illness.
Many new studies in recent years have come to light on the benefit of fasting but as the book was written 4 years ago, I will let that one slide.
This was a mix between pure quackery and a history of medicine, and it was a pleasure to read.
Recommended.
March 21, 2018
For lovers of the unusual side of medical history, this book features shocking true stories and well placed (if not disturbingly funny) puns and jokes.
March 25, 2018
In the 17th, 18th, or 19th century, if you were sick, call the doctor if you wanted to die more quickly! The horrors of "medical treatment" which even stretched to the early 20th century have to be read about to be believed. It was a guessing game and the patient was the lab rat who rarely survived the "cure". Physicians were obsessed with bleeding (even if your problem was loss of blood); enemas (even if your problem was diarrhea); drilling holes in your skull to release the bad spirits; arsenic and other poisons for everything from tuberculosis to the desire for a glowing complexion; opium to keep your infant from crying; surgeries performed without anesthesia, amputations being a preferred procedure for something as simple as varicose veins. ..................and these are just samples of medical practice of the times.
Hygiene was unknown and more patients died of infection than the disease from which they were suffering. Medical knowledge was very slow in its development, sometimes due to the social restriction of the era. For example, women were examined fully clothed since it was frowned upon for them to be naked in front of men other than their husbands.
Quackery may not be the best title for this book since the medical procedures in common use were considered to be ethical and acceptable. But of course, there were those who took advantage and publicized such devices as electric belts, cure-all potions (usually laudanum), penis enlargers, and radium tablets. Without the FDA and other watchdogs, the charlatan had a free hand in introducing miracle cures to an unsuspecting public.
This is a fascinating look at medical history and only lost one star in the the rating for some distracting "cute" humor. After reading this book, I am surprised any of us are alive!
Hygiene was unknown and more patients died of infection than the disease from which they were suffering. Medical knowledge was very slow in its development, sometimes due to the social restriction of the era. For example, women were examined fully clothed since it was frowned upon for them to be naked in front of men other than their husbands.
Quackery may not be the best title for this book since the medical procedures in common use were considered to be ethical and acceptable. But of course, there were those who took advantage and publicized such devices as electric belts, cure-all potions (usually laudanum), penis enlargers, and radium tablets. Without the FDA and other watchdogs, the charlatan had a free hand in introducing miracle cures to an unsuspecting public.
This is a fascinating look at medical history and only lost one star in the the rating for some distracting "cute" humor. After reading this book, I am surprised any of us are alive!
November 21, 2017
Lots of information and its graphics and hardcover book form are marvelous. This holds so much criteria and minutia of centuries of treatments and all kinds of paths to attempt cures or remedies. Not all were conducted in a malevolent or tricking to profit mode. Most were serious attempts to improve a dire health problem, disease, or some living condition that handicapped to strong degrees. Because so many of the original patient conditions are serious ones, these were often experimental attempts or ones which supported a theory of human physical reality. So if humors or bile or excess was the problem then leeches or bloodletting or some such avenue would most probably "work" for an improvement.
It is fully a 4.5 star for the information and sources. And especially for some of the original words and graphics of portrait or cases that do equal a thousand words. In the latter chapters the "tone" seemed to me to get progressively worse, although the information was excellent. The types of joking asides and word plays entwined in the copy of the telling for these realities was so off. The humor was just sick in spots. Which for me, took the enjoyment of the reading to learn about electronic or radioactive or other cures- it took it way, way down. This is 3.5 star but I just can't round it up because of the tone.
Why would they have gone this route with the silly and such sophomoric comments? I doubt if one out of 10 people who read this book appreciated it as funny. What a misfit for the subject matter. Comparable to doing a serious ritual or funeral service in slapstick. It took away from the entire work tremendously.
We often forget that some of the most terrible quackery schemes were done in the last two centuries in spa forms of "cures". The NW USA had several such spas. There are good books out on these and especially upon the colon flushing and starvation cures.
But what is so horrific, IMHO, is how many men and women died to improve an appearance feature. Cosmetics and other cures for lack of some sex appeal improvement being so deadly.
It is fully a 4.5 star for the information and sources. And especially for some of the original words and graphics of portrait or cases that do equal a thousand words. In the latter chapters the "tone" seemed to me to get progressively worse, although the information was excellent. The types of joking asides and word plays entwined in the copy of the telling for these realities was so off. The humor was just sick in spots. Which for me, took the enjoyment of the reading to learn about electronic or radioactive or other cures- it took it way, way down. This is 3.5 star but I just can't round it up because of the tone.
Why would they have gone this route with the silly and such sophomoric comments? I doubt if one out of 10 people who read this book appreciated it as funny. What a misfit for the subject matter. Comparable to doing a serious ritual or funeral service in slapstick. It took away from the entire work tremendously.
We often forget that some of the most terrible quackery schemes were done in the last two centuries in spa forms of "cures". The NW USA had several such spas. There are good books out on these and especially upon the colon flushing and starvation cures.
But what is so horrific, IMHO, is how many men and women died to improve an appearance feature. Cosmetics and other cures for lack of some sex appeal improvement being so deadly.
September 23, 2017
While this is a fun read and definitely contains a lot of information about different medical beliefs and practices in history, it has a very amateur feel. There are times where the tone of the authors has a very strong informal colloquial style. They use cliches and conversational terms and I think that it de-emphasizes the importance of this information being framed in a more formal tone so that it feels more legitimate and factual.
Read
September 10, 2020Varam cik gribi lamāt Big Pharma, meklēt sazvērestības teorijas utt.,bet uzlasot šādas grāmatas esi pateicīgs, ka dzīvo 21.gs.un tev ir pieejamas normālas ārsniecības metodes un medikamenti.
Kopumā labs pārskats par baisajām lietām, ko cilvēki izmantojuši, lai tikai tiktu pie veselības.
Kopumā labs pārskats par baisajām lietām, ko cilvēki izmantojuši, lai tikai tiktu pie veselības.
September 13, 2022
Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything is a wide-ranging jaunt through bad medicines, foolish cures and dangerous practitioners. Though, to be fair, many of these judgments come in retrospect, now that we know better: you've got to try things before you arrive at the ones that work, right? The way to distinguish the real from the fake is through the practice of science: trials, data gathering, double-blinding, dose modification, replication, and independent review. In a way, this is the history of people who were prescientific in their understanding or chose to ignore disconfirmation of their pet theories.
For anyone familiar with the podcast Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine, this will feel like familiar territory. However, it felt like Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen presented plenty of new (to me) information. I'm sure some of that is their independent research, and some of that is my imperfect memory. It's easy to summarize the broader topics, as they are neatly broken down by chapter: mercury, antimony, arsenic, gold, radium and radon, opiates, strychnine, tobacco, cocaine, alcohol, earth (yeah, dirt), blood-letting, lobotomy, cautery and blistering, enemas and clysters (an ancient term for enema, new to me), hydropathy, surgery, anesthesia, leeches, cannibalism and corpse medicine, animal-derived medicine, sex, fasting, mysterious powers, animal magnetism, light, radionics, and the king's touch. Each topic is full of historical examples (with all the requisite cringing) and explanations of the science behind how certain substances work (and don't work).
This is valuable and memorable information, though the book is peppered with snarky humor that fell flat for me. I'm sure the authors were just trying to keep things light, but the tone felt wrong. As long as you're prepared for that, there's plenty to be learned from Quackery.
For anyone familiar with the podcast Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine, this will feel like familiar territory. However, it felt like Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen presented plenty of new (to me) information. I'm sure some of that is their independent research, and some of that is my imperfect memory. It's easy to summarize the broader topics, as they are neatly broken down by chapter: mercury, antimony, arsenic, gold, radium and radon, opiates, strychnine, tobacco, cocaine, alcohol, earth (yeah, dirt), blood-letting, lobotomy, cautery and blistering, enemas and clysters (an ancient term for enema, new to me), hydropathy, surgery, anesthesia, leeches, cannibalism and corpse medicine, animal-derived medicine, sex, fasting, mysterious powers, animal magnetism, light, radionics, and the king's touch. Each topic is full of historical examples (with all the requisite cringing) and explanations of the science behind how certain substances work (and don't work).
This is valuable and memorable information, though the book is peppered with snarky humor that fell flat for me. I'm sure the authors were just trying to keep things light, but the tone felt wrong. As long as you're prepared for that, there's plenty to be learned from Quackery.
August 13, 2018
The next time I hear someone say they'd like to go back to the "Good ol' days" or some such nonsense, I'm going to suggest they read this book. Sure, times were simpler back when everyone but the royalty worked from dawn to dusk, when public executions were a weekly event, when women were kept in their place, and starving children had hands chopped off for stealing a loaf of bread. Yes, those days were much simpler and it's a wonder we don't all wish to go back to them. However, one thing that should make us take pause and reconsider this yearning for times gone by is the "health care" back in those earlier times!
In Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything Lydia Kang delves into some of history's craziest and most harmful ways to "cure" people. From mercury to arsenic, radium to lobotomy, electric baths and burning, we learn about it all! Bloodletting and cannibalism and pelvic massages (ooh la la!) -- how could I possibly think that those days weren't better times to live --and die!-- in?
This book is both interesting and fun, the author blending historical facts with wit and sarcasm. If you enjoy medical history, witty books, and/or are one of those who romanticize the good ol' days, I recommend this book to you.
In Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything Lydia Kang delves into some of history's craziest and most harmful ways to "cure" people. From mercury to arsenic, radium to lobotomy, electric baths and burning, we learn about it all! Bloodletting and cannibalism and pelvic massages (ooh la la!) -- how could I possibly think that those days weren't better times to live --and die!-- in?
This book is both interesting and fun, the author blending historical facts with wit and sarcasm. If you enjoy medical history, witty books, and/or are one of those who romanticize the good ol' days, I recommend this book to you.
April 10, 2021
A humorous overview of the history of medical practices that were dangerous, useless or downright weird, this book pretty well accomplishes what it set out to do. As it’s formatted encyclopedia-style rather than as a narrative I had to read it in small chunks, and after some funny bits at the beginning I found myself more often grossed out by the practices described or horrified by them (some of the practices used against unconsenting mentally ill patients were really horrific). So I didn’t exactly enjoy the book, overall, but it definitely is interesting and informative and delivers what it promises.
Some general thoughts, highlights and lowlights:
- The book is full of terrible plans: using mercury, antimony, and arsenic as medication (if it makes bile come out of you, well, it’s obviously working because you wouldn’t want that stuff still in you, amirite?); strychnine as a stimulant; eating parts of corpses for health; cauterizing your temples to relieve a headache.
- And also, useless plans, some promoted by people who genuinely believed in them and others by scam artists: sitting under blue glass; ramshackle devices falsely claiming to produce radio waves; centuries of attempts to fully dissolve gold because how could such a valuable and pretty metal not have medicinal effects?
- And yet, many of these treatments actually did benefit at least some of their patients. While perhaps not what the authors intended, this book is a powerful testament to the placebo effect that has me halfway convinced we shouldn’t limit ourselves to scientifically-proven techniques after all. Having a treatment the patient believes works—if it isn’t actually damaging, exorbitantly priced or standing in the way of the patient receiving more effective treatment (granted, some big “ifs� there)—is better for many people than no treatment at all.
- Some of this weirdness actually can help you, though often in more specific and limited ways than people realized at the time. For instance, consuming dirt can be an antidote to poison because it slows its absorption; bloodletting might help high blood pressure, though resorting to it as a cure-all was definitely a bad plan; and leeches have some limited medical use today. “Snake oil salesman� is shorthand for a scam artist not because snake oil can’t be used as a medicine—if the snake has enough omega-3 fatty acids (like, say, a Chinese water snake) it can relieve pain and inflammation—but because the guy who popularized this in the U.S. failed to use any real snake oil in his supposed liniment.
- The history of surgery and anesthesia is wild.
- Sadly, like most histories that don’t specify otherwise, this one is overwhelmingly western-oriented. Its brief mentions of places outside the U.S. and Europe almost all relate to generalized “traditional practices� rather than any specific events.
At any rate, this is worth picking up if you’re interested in the topic, though you’ll want a strong stomach for parts of it!
Some general thoughts, highlights and lowlights:
- The book is full of terrible plans: using mercury, antimony, and arsenic as medication (if it makes bile come out of you, well, it’s obviously working because you wouldn’t want that stuff still in you, amirite?); strychnine as a stimulant; eating parts of corpses for health; cauterizing your temples to relieve a headache.
- And also, useless plans, some promoted by people who genuinely believed in them and others by scam artists: sitting under blue glass; ramshackle devices falsely claiming to produce radio waves; centuries of attempts to fully dissolve gold because how could such a valuable and pretty metal not have medicinal effects?
- And yet, many of these treatments actually did benefit at least some of their patients. While perhaps not what the authors intended, this book is a powerful testament to the placebo effect that has me halfway convinced we shouldn’t limit ourselves to scientifically-proven techniques after all. Having a treatment the patient believes works—if it isn’t actually damaging, exorbitantly priced or standing in the way of the patient receiving more effective treatment (granted, some big “ifs� there)—is better for many people than no treatment at all.
- Some of this weirdness actually can help you, though often in more specific and limited ways than people realized at the time. For instance, consuming dirt can be an antidote to poison because it slows its absorption; bloodletting might help high blood pressure, though resorting to it as a cure-all was definitely a bad plan; and leeches have some limited medical use today. “Snake oil salesman� is shorthand for a scam artist not because snake oil can’t be used as a medicine—if the snake has enough omega-3 fatty acids (like, say, a Chinese water snake) it can relieve pain and inflammation—but because the guy who popularized this in the U.S. failed to use any real snake oil in his supposed liniment.
- The history of surgery and anesthesia is wild.
- Sadly, like most histories that don’t specify otherwise, this one is overwhelmingly western-oriented. Its brief mentions of places outside the U.S. and Europe almost all relate to generalized “traditional practices� rather than any specific events.
At any rate, this is worth picking up if you’re interested in the topic, though you’ll want a strong stomach for parts of it!
November 4, 2017
I feel like I gotta give this 5 stars on account of it being 100% what I expected, which is essentially a book length Cracked article in the shape of a book.
It's gross, horrifying, and great.
It's gross, horrifying, and great.
June 15, 2021
Hilarious and empathic. Its one of those books where so much was covered,a ll of it interesting, that I could read it several times and come away with something different each time.
April 28, 2021
Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything - Lydia Kang
الدجل: تاريخ موجز لأسوأ الطرق لعلاج كل شيء
كتاب جيد جدًا وغني بالمعلومات الموثقة لعلاجات وممارسات طبية مخيفة وحقيقية مورست ضد المرضى عبر التاريخ.
المحزن بالأمر رغم أن أغلب ما يغطيه الكتاب هو ممارسات قديمة وتاريخية لكن دعونا
لا ننسى أن الكثير من الدجل والشعوذة والخدع والحيل، لا زالت تمارس في كل أنحاء العالم
حيث يعزف المشعوذون على مخاوف المرضى ويستغلونها للاستفادة والتربح، من
وسائل تخفيف الوزن الخيالية والحبوب وأعشاب الطاقة إلى العلاجات السحرية
للأمراض المزمنة، ناهيك عن استغلال مرضى الأمراض النفسية، وطبعًا
العلاجات الغريبة التي نسمع بها هذه الأيام خلال الجائحة لعلاج كورونا.
الكتاب مكتوب بطريقة مسلية ويمثل قراءة وإن كانت سريعة لكن عميقة إلى درجة ما في ذات الوقت.
الدجل: تاريخ موجز لأسوأ الطرق لعلاج كل شيء
كتاب جيد جدًا وغني بالمعلومات الموثقة لعلاجات وممارسات طبية مخيفة وحقيقية مورست ضد المرضى عبر التاريخ.
المحزن بالأمر رغم أن أغلب ما يغطيه الكتاب هو ممارسات قديمة وتاريخية لكن دعونا
لا ننسى أن الكثير من الدجل والشعوذة والخدع والحيل، لا زالت تمارس في كل أنحاء العالم
حيث يعزف المشعوذون على مخاوف المرضى ويستغلونها للاستفادة والتربح، من
وسائل تخفيف الوزن الخيالية والحبوب وأعشاب الطاقة إلى العلاجات السحرية
للأمراض المزمنة، ناهيك عن استغلال مرضى الأمراض النفسية، وطبعًا
العلاجات الغريبة التي نسمع بها هذه الأيام خلال الجائحة لعلاج كورونا.
الكتاب مكتوب بطريقة مسلية ويمثل قراءة وإن كانت سريعة لكن عميقة إلى درجة ما في ذات الوقت.
March 19, 2018
For those interested in random facts and morbid trivia, this is nice, concise book written humorously enough to be a light read.
October 23, 2017
Most of us dread a trip to the doctor's office. I know I do! But have you ever thought how nice it actually is to go to one and, well, not have to fear heavy metal poisoning? Or... not have to lose a pint of blood to purge you?
Yeah, when I think about it, it's definitely good that the 21st century is the way it is, even if our medical systems are not perfect (I hear you.) But medicine hasn't always been like it is today. And this book will tell you how it was before it was like it is today.
I love receiving ARCs, but the saddest bit about having this one was that it was electronic, and I longed for nothing more than to actually have a beautiful print copy on my coffee table, to be able to flick through it and read up on the hilarious/ scary/ icky medicinal history whenever I wanted to. This is just one of those books you don't read in one sitting � it's one of the books you find on your grandpa's shelf when you're visiting, when you're little, and you peer into the world it tells you about little bit little, bit by bit, because you're too afraid to peek for too long, but too curious to let it go, and too worried you'll run out of the book if you read it properly.
Quackery is organized like one of those trivia books � it doesn't follow a particular storyline, but is focused on the different types of quackery that's been attempted to sell and successfully sold to people in the history of the known world. Examples follow:
- Antimony puke chalices
- Radium jockstraps
- Arsenic wallpapers
- Strychnine potency drugs
- Cocaine toothache drops for kids
- And let's not forget the famous snake oil
You'd be surprised at all of the disgusting, weird and utterly stupid things people have done throughout history to cure their ails. I am simply unable to tell you the extent of it, and I feel like I don't have to � that's what this book is for. It's creepy, it's colorful, it's got great graphics, it's got amazing trivia . What's more, it's not some boring history book either! It's written in a very engaging and witty style, so you will never be bored. I do recommend it to everyone, even to the squeamish (that's me!) There might be a few chapters you skip because of this, but if you're as curious as I am � you will definitely enjoy it.
I thank Lydia Kang, Nate Pedersen and Workman Publishing Company for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange to my honest opinion.
| |
Yeah, when I think about it, it's definitely good that the 21st century is the way it is, even if our medical systems are not perfect (I hear you.) But medicine hasn't always been like it is today. And this book will tell you how it was before it was like it is today.
I love receiving ARCs, but the saddest bit about having this one was that it was electronic, and I longed for nothing more than to actually have a beautiful print copy on my coffee table, to be able to flick through it and read up on the hilarious/ scary/ icky medicinal history whenever I wanted to. This is just one of those books you don't read in one sitting � it's one of the books you find on your grandpa's shelf when you're visiting, when you're little, and you peer into the world it tells you about little bit little, bit by bit, because you're too afraid to peek for too long, but too curious to let it go, and too worried you'll run out of the book if you read it properly.
Quackery is organized like one of those trivia books � it doesn't follow a particular storyline, but is focused on the different types of quackery that's been attempted to sell and successfully sold to people in the history of the known world. Examples follow:
- Antimony puke chalices
- Radium jockstraps
- Arsenic wallpapers
- Strychnine potency drugs
- Cocaine toothache drops for kids
- And let's not forget the famous snake oil
You'd be surprised at all of the disgusting, weird and utterly stupid things people have done throughout history to cure their ails. I am simply unable to tell you the extent of it, and I feel like I don't have to � that's what this book is for. It's creepy, it's colorful, it's got great graphics, it's got amazing trivia . What's more, it's not some boring history book either! It's written in a very engaging and witty style, so you will never be bored. I do recommend it to everyone, even to the squeamish (that's me!) There might be a few chapters you skip because of this, but if you're as curious as I am � you will definitely enjoy it.
I thank Lydia Kang, Nate Pedersen and Workman Publishing Company for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange to my honest opinion.
| |
November 27, 2018
I was super excited about this book. Unfortunately, the tone of the writing is beyond snarky and the sarcasm gets old, fast.
In my opinion, the title is misleading. There’s a difference between quackery, and a lack of scientific understanding. While some of the stories are indeed interesting, the tone ultimately fails them. Instead it reads like a wanna-be comedy through the implication that real scientists throughout history were just stupid. It does make note of actual quackery, but sadly, the real scientist learning by trial and error are given the same tone of distaste as the quacks and the people knowingly doing harm.
Truly, it’s a bummer, because I had high hopes for this book.
In my opinion, the title is misleading. There’s a difference between quackery, and a lack of scientific understanding. While some of the stories are indeed interesting, the tone ultimately fails them. Instead it reads like a wanna-be comedy through the implication that real scientists throughout history were just stupid. It does make note of actual quackery, but sadly, the real scientist learning by trial and error are given the same tone of distaste as the quacks and the people knowingly doing harm.
Truly, it’s a bummer, because I had high hopes for this book.
Shelved as 'tbr-priority'
April 28, 2017THIS IS THE MOST ME BOOK EVER AND I NEED IT
September 6, 2022
4.5
READ FOR POPSUGAR 2022 READING CHALLENGE: Read a book with an onomatopoeia in the title ("quack")
TW: Body horror, graphic medical content, misogyny.
Highly interesting and surprisingly hilarious at times.
In 1610, Jacques Ferrand recommended cauterizing the forehead with a searing hot iron rod for lovesickness.
.
He then cut through the brain's dura and scooped out parts of the cerebral cortex with, in some cases, a sharp spoon. Yes, spoonfuls of brain were removed.
.
Some claim Assyrians used to strangle children into unconsciousness to perform circumcisions- also a practice in Italy until the seventeenth century.
READ FOR POPSUGAR 2022 READING CHALLENGE: Read a book with an onomatopoeia in the title ("quack")
TW: Body horror, graphic medical content, misogyny.
Highly interesting and surprisingly hilarious at times.
In 1610, Jacques Ferrand recommended cauterizing the forehead with a searing hot iron rod for lovesickness.
.
He then cut through the brain's dura and scooped out parts of the cerebral cortex with, in some cases, a sharp spoon. Yes, spoonfuls of brain were removed.
.
Some claim Assyrians used to strangle children into unconsciousness to perform circumcisions- also a practice in Italy until the seventeenth century.
February 27, 2020
Actually DNF-ing at 51%. It just got gross... Some stuff, like the wine and herb and poison chapters, were interesting, but the lobotomies and rectal cures...I got nauseous, lol! Not for me.
March 1, 2020
It was interesting to read this book in the amidst of the coronavirus outbreak. It's astonishing how quackery, superstition and mythos is still noticeable in the practice of medicine today.
February 21, 2021
As a medstudent with a sarcastic view on life I'm legit excited to read this lmao.
October 13, 2020
Originally published on my book blog, .
3.5 stars
Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen is two parts gasping at astounding purported medical cures. It’s also one part rubbernecker can’t look away no matter how yucky the example might be. I thoroughly enjoyed both aspects, along with the quirky images and snappy writing style.
Studying medical history is something unexpected for me. But I’m more fascinated with it than ever, after living in a pandemic. Our news channels and social media are chock full of medical experts, some more relevant than others.
I couldn’t help but combine today’s medical info overload with Quackery. For example, what if Dr. Fauci was a fan of bloodletting or the radium cure instead of being a public health expert? “Think you have COVID-19? Let me remove a pint of your blood. I also have this radioactive solution that costs a fortune. One or the other should cure you.� Or kill you �
Using poisons as cures was accepted procedure during history. Believing that the air (more accurately called miasma) you breathed resulted in sickness was also common. But ingesting corpse dust or implanting goat testicles? Yeah, I didn’t know about that. And suggest you don’t read about it during lunch.
Alternately, Quackery explains the progression from dangerous to safer surgery, due to the work of folks like Dr. Lister. It also covers the various options in anesthesia. These are changes that we benefit from today. But thankfully, leeches and lobotomies have moved to the wayside.
My conclusions
It seems strange to say Quackery is a fun book. So much of it explains the grossest and most barbaric parts of medical history. Whether motivated simply by money or by a genuine desire to help cure people, the things “experts� did are truly gobsmacking.
But Kang and Pederson break it all down and tell the tales with a blend of research, irony, and sarcasm. Considering Kang is a physician, I trust the details were accurate. But never fear, it’s all translated into English for the regular person. No need to pull out your medical dictionary or even refer to Dr. Google.
I also appreciated the audiobook narration from Hillary Huber, who injects just the right tone to match the authors� attitudes.
If you enjoy medical history especially of the quack-ish variety, this book is for you. with something staider like or .
3.5 stars
Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything by Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen is two parts gasping at astounding purported medical cures. It’s also one part rubbernecker can’t look away no matter how yucky the example might be. I thoroughly enjoyed both aspects, along with the quirky images and snappy writing style.
Studying medical history is something unexpected for me. But I’m more fascinated with it than ever, after living in a pandemic. Our news channels and social media are chock full of medical experts, some more relevant than others.
I couldn’t help but combine today’s medical info overload with Quackery. For example, what if Dr. Fauci was a fan of bloodletting or the radium cure instead of being a public health expert? “Think you have COVID-19? Let me remove a pint of your blood. I also have this radioactive solution that costs a fortune. One or the other should cure you.� Or kill you �
Using poisons as cures was accepted procedure during history. Believing that the air (more accurately called miasma) you breathed resulted in sickness was also common. But ingesting corpse dust or implanting goat testicles? Yeah, I didn’t know about that. And suggest you don’t read about it during lunch.
Alternately, Quackery explains the progression from dangerous to safer surgery, due to the work of folks like Dr. Lister. It also covers the various options in anesthesia. These are changes that we benefit from today. But thankfully, leeches and lobotomies have moved to the wayside.
My conclusions
It seems strange to say Quackery is a fun book. So much of it explains the grossest and most barbaric parts of medical history. Whether motivated simply by money or by a genuine desire to help cure people, the things “experts� did are truly gobsmacking.
But Kang and Pederson break it all down and tell the tales with a blend of research, irony, and sarcasm. Considering Kang is a physician, I trust the details were accurate. But never fear, it’s all translated into English for the regular person. No need to pull out your medical dictionary or even refer to Dr. Google.
I also appreciated the audiobook narration from Hillary Huber, who injects just the right tone to match the authors� attitudes.
If you enjoy medical history especially of the quack-ish variety, this book is for you. with something staider like or .
December 20, 2017
This book covers a history of "quackery", which in this case seems to refer to both medical charlatans and old treatments that were thought to work at the time but sound ridiculous to a modern audience. I was not a particular fan of the way the book combined those two categories - there's a difference between someone trying to pull off a scam based on people's health fears, and someone in the past trying to treat a disease without the benefits of modern knowledge and understanding. Does it seem ridiculous to us that doctors sliced open veins to bleed seriously ill people? Of course. Did it seem ridiculous to those doctors? Of course not - they were genuinely trying to save people without knowing how. The whole book's tone was very joking and a bit snide. I don't like reading medical history written in a point-and-laugh kind of way, so this wasn't the book for me. Other readers may not mind the tone.
I do think the authors inevitably ran into trouble because it's rightfully hard to joke about many parts of medical history, given their dark consequences. For instance, the authors note at the beginning that they won't go into medical mistreatment based on racism or homophobia because the tone of the book doesn't suit such serious topics. Yet there are still jokes regarding women being institutionalized for "hysteria", and the whole book is full of light-hearted references to mental illness treatment. In particular, there was a whole chapter on lobotomies, pretty much as light-hearted as the rest of the book. But lobotomies were a recent medical disgrace - there are still living victims!
Also, near the beginning of the book, on page 62, they mention a quote from "Founding Father Alexander Hamilton" on weaning infants. But the quote printed is not from "Founding Father Alexander Hamilton" - it's from the book "A Treatise on Midwifery" by Dr Alexander Hamilton, a Scottish physician at Edinburgh University. Not the same dude by a long shot. This was very easy to fact-check, and between that early error and the many apocryphal stories presented without caveat, I took the whole book with a huge grain of salt.
The book is beautifully formatted and illustrated, and it does have some interesting parts. It's at its best when the authors discuss real charlatans (the radionics chapter was interesting!). On the whole though, it's not a book I would recommend.
I do think the authors inevitably ran into trouble because it's rightfully hard to joke about many parts of medical history, given their dark consequences. For instance, the authors note at the beginning that they won't go into medical mistreatment based on racism or homophobia because the tone of the book doesn't suit such serious topics. Yet there are still jokes regarding women being institutionalized for "hysteria", and the whole book is full of light-hearted references to mental illness treatment. In particular, there was a whole chapter on lobotomies, pretty much as light-hearted as the rest of the book. But lobotomies were a recent medical disgrace - there are still living victims!
Also, near the beginning of the book, on page 62, they mention a quote from "Founding Father Alexander Hamilton" on weaning infants. But the quote printed is not from "Founding Father Alexander Hamilton" - it's from the book "A Treatise on Midwifery" by Dr Alexander Hamilton, a Scottish physician at Edinburgh University. Not the same dude by a long shot. This was very easy to fact-check, and between that early error and the many apocryphal stories presented without caveat, I took the whole book with a huge grain of salt.
The book is beautifully formatted and illustrated, and it does have some interesting parts. It's at its best when the authors discuss real charlatans (the radionics chapter was interesting!). On the whole though, it's not a book I would recommend.
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