A bestseller when it was originally published in 1985, this collection of patients’ case histories by physician Oliver Sacks (1933–2015) explores their neurological disorders and the strategies they adopted to cope with them. The 24 cases include a man with a special form of visual agnosia, patients with Tourette’s syndrome, and the 'lost mariner' – a former sailor with no recent memory, isolated in a single moment of being. Slightly off-mint.

Can the power of thought outwit ageing? What’s it like to be struck by lightning? Could 3D printers make body parts? These are among the intriguing questions discussed in stories that explore the stranger aspects of the human body. These 17 articles were originally published on mosaicscience.com, an online magazine created by Wellcome.

How do forensic specialists identify and piece together clues to present a convincing case in court? This guide to scientific techniques explains the analysis of evidence ranging from drugs to digital devices, dental records to DNA. Foreword by Val McDermid.

Opened in 2019, the Wellcome Galleries at the Science Museum, London, bring together the personal collection of Henry Wellcome and the Museum’s own medical holdings to provide the world’s most extensive display of the history of medicine. Arranged in ten chapters that reflect the interests of the curators, the book covers topics including protheses, military medicine, iron lungs and psychiatry, and illustrates artefacts as diverse as moles’ feet amulets (to ward off cramp) and a 21st century athlete’s running blade.

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Why doesn’t the immune system fight cancer the way it does other diseases? Told through the experiences of patients, doctors and immunotherapy researchers, this is the story of the game-changing scientific discoveries that unleash our natural ability to recognize and defeat cancer.

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These 175 recipes all use nutritious ingredients that can help slow memory loss and overcome brain fog. The book explains how our diet affects our brain function, and includes a series of puzzles designed to stimulate cognitive function.

Aimed at the layman, this is a detailed pictorial guide to the body, with 1,400 colour drawings of the major systems (circulatory, digestive, endocrine, lymphatic, muscular, nervous, reproductive, respiratory, skeletal, and urinary) from the cellular level upwards, and sections covering first aid, common symptoms and both medical and alternative therapies. An extensive alphabetical guide allows for cross-referencing, while specific concerns from psychological disorders and diagnostic techniques to infection control are given more detailed coverage. Off-mint.

Despite the inevitability of death, people in Western society often have difficulty discussing and confronting the subject. Having worked with terminally ill patients throughout her career, Kathryn Mannix presents her experiences through more than 30 touching and humorous stories that demonstrate how varied the end can be. She aims to encourage readers to approach death with openness and understanding, and to make the most of their own lives while they can.

First published in 1967, this book follows the GP John Sassall as he goes about his rounds in rural Gloucestershire. What emerges, in the words of John Berger and the photographs of Jean Mohr, is a portrait of a community, and of a remarkable man who combined breadth of vision with a deep appreciation of the minutiae of everyday life.

Based on knowledge accumulated over almost two decades as a sleep researcher, Professor Alice Gregory offers evidence-based insights into how our sleep patterns change as we age and shares expert tips on achieving a rejuvenating night's rest.

The latest techniques for imaging the brain have enabled scientists to see some of the biological mechanisms that create our thoughts, memories, feelings and perceptions. This book describes these first insights into the secrets of the brain, with illustrations based on scans which have helped to explain a range of phenomena, from dyslexia and obsessive behaviour to schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease, and reveal how our culture has been shaped by the ebb and flow of our neurotransmitters.

In this study, Medhurst approaches the Russian revolutionary period, 1903 to 1921, from the perspective of modern, non-Marxist, participatory socialism. He seeks to explain why the Bolshevik Revolution degenerated so quickly into Stalinism, and re-examines the roles of both the Bolshevik leaders and the Russian non-Leninist socialists. Slightly off-mint.

Described by a contemporary as ‘a truly enlightened physician, dedicated to and worthy of the lofty mission which he pursues in the world’, Achille-Cleophas Flaubert (1784–1846), survived Robespierre and the Terror and thrived under Napoleon. Writing the biography of the man, Geoffrey Wall also tells the story of a generation who had ‘grown up as the citizens of a republic that mutated into an empire’.

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From 'love-madness' and the power of St John the Baptist's severed head, to 'wilfully impractical' shoes with long, pointed toes, Jack Hartnell examines the spiritual and intellectual significance of bodies and how parts of the body – from head to foot – were understood and treated in the Middle Ages. ‘Born, bathed, dressed, loved, cut, bruised, ripped, buried, even resurrected, medieval bodies,' writes Hartnell, 'are a path to understanding the very essence of everyday life in the past.’

Mariano Sigman’s bestselling examination of human thought begins by asking how babies communicate, and goes on to explore how we relate to our unconscious mind, what happens when we dream and why the brain is constantly changing. This concise, approachable guide to neuroscience questions how we perceive, reason, feel and communicate, with the aim of better comprehending the inner workings of the human brain and understanding ourselves and others more deeply. Slightly off-mint and felt-tip mark on upper trimmed edge.

When Alison Murdoch’s husband caught viral encephalitis and fell into a coma, life as she knew it stopped. Her darkly comic memoir describes the experience of watching a loved one fight to survive and offers astute insights into how to cope with despair, heartache and the unknown.

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 ageing 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.

Without an immune system, we could not survive the battle between our microscopic enemies and ourselves. Drawing on sources from ancient Egyptian medical texts to cutting-edge medical science, the academic Catherine Carver explores the many facets of our natural defence system – including how it knows what to attack and what to defend, how diseases try to evade it, and how researchers are designing new drugs to harness its power.

One in eight women is likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. The American surgeon Dr Kristi Funk provides information on diagnosis and treatment for those living with and surviving the disease; the latest research on lifestyle choices including food, supplements, hormones and exercise; and a long-term risk reduction plan that can be tailored to the individual.

Selling the ‘cure-alls’ he made by bottling leftover cooking grease in the kitchen of his parents' Cornish pub set Thomas Holloway on the road to becoming one of the richest self-made men in Victorian England. Here the author (a distant cousin) explores the rise and fall of his patent medicine empire and reveals how he used his millions to build the enormous Gothic college that still bears his name.

In early modern England, tiny worms were thought to cause tooth cavities, jaundice was a disease rather than a symptom, and those unlucky enough to become ill could find themselves subjected to 'cures' such as skin blistering and bloodletting. Drawing on contemporary sources including physicians' and apothecaries' notes, medical treatises and personal journals, this book explores how doctors dealt with common complaints and how sufferers responded to diseases and their treatment.

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 identifies gut-friendly foods such as garlic, bananas and natural yoghurt; lists those you need to avoid; and provides 75 quick, easy and delicious recipes.

Focusing on the health benefits of plant-based meals, and written by a nutritionist, this collection of simple meat- and dairy-free dishes also offers advice on the best sources of nutrients, and guidance on stocking a vegan store-cupboard. 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 unprocessed, appetizing and easy to make.

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 the BBC adaptation of Call the Midwife. Combining genealogy and social history, this volume explores the effects of illness on society through the generations. Signed by the author.

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.

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.

In this cultural history of insanity, from the Bible to modern medicine, Professor Scull 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. Examining medical, pharmacological, religious and psychological approaches, he explains how madness has been perceived as a frightening challenge to the social fabric, and as a profound influence on the arts.

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.

An exhaustive visual guide to human anatomy and a revision aid for medical students and health professionals, the Atlas comprises around 700 pages of meticulously detailed, coloured drawings and diagrams, all clearly labelled using international anatomical terminology. The book starts with an overview of the human body, with subsequent sections arranged by major systems, from skin to organs of the senses. Translated from the Spanish.

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.

The Sobotta Atlas covers human anatomy in detail with almost 2,000 figures, including X-ray, MRI and CT images, endoscopic images, and colour photographs. Designed specifically for medical school courses, the Atlas is organized by body regions in colour-coded chapters with introductory overviews, and it includes a quick reference booklet with tables of muscles, joints and nerves. Each book includes a PIN number that gives access to Sobotta online.

‘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.

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.

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 account tells how, through a combination of planning and improvization, medical staff, scientists, 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.

Tom Quinn documents the social, historical and medical reactions to this deadly illness, from the first recorded mentions of a flu-like virus in ancient writings to present fears of virus mutation and the ongoing search for a cure.

An overview of the use of opioids – an effective but controversial form of analgesic – in contemporary therapy for many painful conditions, exploring the provision of safe and responsible prescribing practices, and measures to control the risk of abuse.

Beyond the data of modern scientific sleep research, the author explores every kind of information and writing about sleep, but looks particularly at how knowledge about it exists in cultural practices, rituals, oral teachings, proverbs and song. Arranged in chapters following the progress of a night’s sleep, the book discusses topics as diverse as sleeping babies and the meaning of dreams to reveal the importance of sleep and the interdependence of our waking and sleeping lives.

Acute Stroke Care is brought to you by Postscript Books, a long-established mail order bookseller offering a wide and intriguing range of titles at exceptionally low prices

This guide for clinicians specialising in the care of older people examines the real problems that occur on a day-to-day basis, covering subjects such as stroke medicine and 9”x7”, 8pp colour plates

Part of the Oxford Pain Management Library series of medical handbooks. This volume deals with one of the most common reasons cited by patients seeking medical help, back pain,