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A neurologist at Harvard’s Brigham Hospital, Dr Ropper describes the neurologist’s response to cases – such as transient global amnesia or motor neuron disease – in which lives and minds hang in the balance.

The acclaimed puzzle and brain training expert, author of The Ordnance Survey Puzzle Book and the BrainedUp.com website, Dr Gareth Moore has devised activities and puzzles to help aging brains stay sharp and reduce the memory-related effects of getting older. After a simple introduction to how the brain works and how it changes, there are chapters on keeping your brain fit, and advice and exercises for memory, learning, staying positive and concentration.

G is for gut, and this revolutionary diet aims for both a healthy gut and weight loss. The 21-day plan first gives your digestion a rest then gradually builds up gut health, banishing feelings of bloating and discomfort and improving energy levels. The book includes details of gut-friendly foods such as garlic, bananas and natural yoghurt; lists those you need to avoid; and provides 75 quick, easy and delicious recipes.

Offering balanced advice on the best sources of nutrients, with guidance on stocking a vegan store-cupboard, this collection of simple meat- and dairy-free dishes aims to inspire you to eat more healthily. The recipes are organized according to meal-type and preparation time, from Weekend and Slouch Day Breakfasts to Evening Meals for Crazy Days, with the emphasis on food that is healthy, appetizing and easy to make.

How did a commodity that was once the prized monopoly of kings become an essential ingredient of everyday life and then the cause of a global health epidemic? James Walvin traces the history of how the demand for sweetness has been met, from early Mediterranean sugar plantations, to the immense human and environmental cost of the Caribbean plantations and the slave system, the industries that followed, and the dawning awareness of the obesity problem.

The actor Stephen McGann tells the story of his family over five generations through the diseases that afflicted them. They range from the famine and smallpox that claimed the lives of infant relatives in the 19th century to the necrosis that almost killed his wife Heidi Thomas, inspiring her to write Call the Midwife. Combining genealogy and social history, this volume explores the effects of illness on society through the generations. Signed by the author.

From the birth of the scientific outlook in the sixth century BCE, when practitioners first began to rely upon observation and reason, to the race to map the human genome, Paul Strathern follows the development of medicine through the lives of individuals including Hippocrates, William Harvey and Alexander Fleming. This accessible volume offers essential insights into the history of medical practice and pays tribute to human perseverance and achievement.

Written by a qualified nutritionist, this self-help guide aids the reader in locating the cause of IBS and implementing a five-point plan to eliminate problem substances, and suggests replacement foods that encourage good digestion.

The influenza pandemic of 1918–20, which infected a third of the global population, killed 50–100 million people (probably more than the First and Second World Wars combined), yet it barely figures in the collective memory. This story of how the virus ‘emerged, swept the planet and receded’ also investigates human coexistence with flu viruses over the past 12,000 years, and looks at how societies might best combat another pandemic. Felt-tip mark on lower trimmed edge.

How did a commodity that was once the prized monopoly of kings become an essential ingredient of everyday life and then the cause of a global health epidemic? James Walvin traces the history of how the demand for sweetness has been met, from early Mediterranean sugar plantations, to the immense human and environmental cost of the Caribbean plantations and the slave system, the industries that followed, and the dawning awareness of the obesity problem.

Poisons are used frequently in Agatha Christie’s stories, testament to her lifelong interest in toxicology. Fourteen of her poisons are analysed in this book, from arsenic (Murder is Easy) to veronal (Lord Edgware Dies). Harkup provides information on their chemical composition, the tests which can detect them, their lethal effects on the body and the uses to which they have been put, particularly in the real-life murder cases that may have inspired Christie. Off-mint.

Daniel Tammet, author of the bestselling memoir Born on a Blue Day, here draws on his own experiences as an autistic person and a polyglot to explore what the intricacies and oddities of human language can teach us about ourselves. His 15 essays cover such topics as the art of translation, sign languages, the music and patterns of words, the grammar of telephone conversations and the rules that prescribe acceptable Icelandic names. Slightly off-mint.

Lauren Slater approaches this investigation into the discovery and development of mind-altering drugs and treatments from the perspectives of both a psychology PhD and her own experience as a patient ‘sustained on a serotonin booster for decades’. The book examines the scientists, the theory and the impact of drugs from chlorpromazine, which revolutionized the treatment of schizophrenia, through Prozac and MDMA (Ecstasy) to deep brain stimulation.

The many different manifestations of mental illness are the subject of this panoramic work of social history. Its eminent author provocatively argues that we remain far from understanding the roots of madness and that modern psychiatry has much to learn from the responses of past societies. Scull explains how madness has been understood, through the lenses of medicine, pharmacology, religion and psychology, as a frightening challenge to the social fabric, and as a profound influence on the arts.

While the First World War raged in Europe, the devastating ‘Spanish flu’ suddenly overwhelmed the world; in three successive waves it would kill around 100 million people. This history of the pandemic traces its origins and progress, using information from official documents and the personal accounts of those, such as David Lloyd George and Vera Brittain, who lived through it. The book also follows today’s scientists as they investigate the virus and draw lessons for our response to future pandemics.

William Buchan’s Domestic Medicine was an 18th-century bestseller, a self-help manual intended for those who could not afford professional medical assistance. It covered everything from hiccups to consumption but, as Robert Winston writes in his foreword, ‘most remedies in Buchan’s time remained distinctly dodgy’. Melanie King introduces a selection from his A–Z of often hair-raising advice.

By the late 1940s, lung cancer had reached an unprecedented level in Britain; in 1950, the number of deaths (13,000) exceeded those from tuberculosis. That same year, a research paper by Richard Doll (1912–2005) concluded that smoking cigarettes was ‘a cause and an important cause’ of lung cancer. This biography describes Doll’s life and politics, his work in wartime, his immense contribution to epidemiology, and his long crusade against premature death and the tobacco industry.

With its profusion of Latin and Greek words, anatomical terminology can be daunting. The authors of this primer therefore take a novel approach, arranging 125 terms under headings – such as ‘architecture’, ‘landscape’ and ‘fabrics’ – to show connections between an organ or structure and the object from which it takes its name. Each term is also illustrated with a pair of drawings highlighting the visual resemblance. Foreword by Prof. Alice Roberts.

Why does growing old lead to so many forms of illness? Recent advances in the study of human cells have revealed that the key to answering this question lies in the telomeres – the tips of chromosomes – which shorten every time a cell reproduces. As he explains these insights, Fossel highlights the ability of the enzyme telomerase to re-lengthen the telomeres and discusses its potential as a means of treating age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Over the centuries, disease has claimed more lives than natural disasters and warfare combined. Largely a social history, this book starts in prehistoric times, and moves from the Black Death of the 14th century to more modern conditions such as Ebola and MRSA. Incorporating individual case studies, the text also explores the human struggle to drive all disease to extinction.

Based on the author’s experience of caring for her mother, this guide emphasises the importance of nutrition, physical activity, a positive attitude and encouraging independence for as long as possible.

‘In the brain’s microscopically small circuitry is etched the history and future of our species.’ The neuroscientist David Eagleman looks deeply into what the latest brain science findings mean for our lives. Without presupposing any specialized knowledge, the book challenges readers’ assumptions as it tackles questions such as how we decide, how we perceive reality, who we are, who’s in control and where we are heading as a species.

In 1817, James Parkinson defined the disease that bears his name so precisely that it is still diagnosed today by recognizing the symptoms he identified. In this study, the story of Parkinson’s significant contributions to the Age of Enlightenment is told through his three passions – medicine, radical politics and fossils. The book restores a neglected pioneer to his rightful place in history and creates a vivid portrait of life as an ‘apothecary surgeon’ in Georgian London.

Given the date of authorship (1860), Mordecai Cooke's examination of drug use and abuse is notable for its open-mindedness and even-handedness when discussing the addictions of world cultures beyond the tobacco habit of Victorian England. Exploring the science and social history of narcotic plants and the attempts to curb their use, the seven substances discussed are opium, cannabis, betel nut, coca, tobacco, the datura plant and the fly agaric mushroom.

Little was known about morphine and its addictive qualities when Louis Lewin published his first study of the drug in 1874, and his continued work in pharmacology and toxicology contributed greatly to the field, culminating in this classic manual, published in 1924. The book sets out detailed information on the properties and effects of all major drugs known at the time, including opium, cannabis, peyote, cocaine, coffee, cocoa and alcohol.

An account of allergy as a ‘modern malady’, from its barely recognized status in the early 20th century to its explosion in the 1990s into a set of diseases of great of health care in the modern world.

Based on an electronic corpus of some two million medical texts from c.1500-1700, this volume of twelve essays provides a new perspective on the evolution of the special language of medicine. From the Studies in English Language series.

At the beginning of the Second World War experts feared that rationing, a shortage of medical resources, the spread of disease via evacuation and air-raid shelters, and the psychological impact of bombardment would wreck the nation's health. This eye-opening account tells how, through a combination of planning and improvisation, doctors, nurses, social workers, scientists, nutritionists, Boy Scouts and tea ladies ensured that Britain ended the war in better health than ever before, and paved the way for the NHS and the welfare state.

Morrice McCrae presents a detailed portrait of John Pringle (1707–1782), the Physician General to the British Army in the 1740s who was responsible for enormous improvements in hospital management, discipline and standards of care.

A collection of some of the most important essays over a span of 25 years on the analysis of long-term trends in health, nutrition and longevity by Robert Fogel, a leader