A Cabinet of Medical Curiosities
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- Synopsis
- In this book of amazing oddities, Jan Bondeson explores unexpected, gruesome, and bizarre aspects of the history of medicine. He regales us with stories of spontaneous human combustion; vicious tribes of tailed men; the Two-Headed Boy of Bengal; Mary Toft, who allegedly gave birth to seventeen rabbits; and Julia Pastrana, exhibited around the world as the Ape Woman. Bondeson combines an historian's skill in showing us our timeless fascination with the grotesque with a physician's diagnostic abilities, as he examines the evidence and provides likely explanations for these peculiar events. "Fascinating. . . . Well-researched and extensively illustrated with items from [Bondeson's] personal collection, it covers a wide range of medical monstrosities, and there is something for everyone. " â " The Lancet "Entertaining in the simultaneously creepy and amusing way of a carnival sideshow. . . . Bondeson is quick to acknowledge absurdity, and his wry humor, along with his strong personal judgments, spice up the book. " â " Publishers Weekly "Bondeson . . . regards his exhibits with a careful scientist's eye, discovering misinterpreted evidence, tragic genetic mutations, and, occasionally, outright fraud. " â " Library Journal
- Copyright:
- 1999
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Excellent
- Book Size:
- 260 Pages
- ISBN-13:
- 9780393318920
- Publisher:
- W. W. Norton & Company Limited
- Date of Addition:
- 04/24/12
- Copyrighted By:
- Cornell University
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- History, Nonfiction, Reference, Health, Mind and Body, Medicine
- Submitted By:
- 8
- Proofread By:
- 8
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.
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- by Jan Bondeson
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- in Health, Mind and Body
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