Conjuring up a time when butchers and executioners knew more about anatomy than university-trained physicians, the phrase ‘medieval medicine’ sounds horrific to those of us with modern ideas on hygiene, instant pain relief and effective treatments. In those days no one could allay the dread of plague or the many other horrible diseases we have now forgotten. However, the medieval medical profession provided patients with everything from cosmetic procedures and dietary advice to life-saving surgeries and post-operative antibiotics. Intriguingly, alongside such expertise, some still believed that unicorns, dragons and elephants supplied vital medical ingredients and that horoscopes could predict the sex of unborn babies.

This book explores the labyrinth of strange ideas and unlikely remedies that make up the weird, wonderful and occasionally beneficial world of medieval medicine.

• Examines a commercial aspect of popular history in a

  particularly fascinating era: the author’s talks on the subject are

  particularly successful

• The first popular history book on medieval medicine
• Exhibitions in major museums (Science Museum, Wellcome Museum) include histories of medicine
• Author’s

  previous book, 'Everyday Life in Medieval

  London', proving popular: Amberley’s Facebook new book alert received an

  unprecedented response, reaching over 30,000 people and the author’s own

  Facebook page is going from strength to strength

• Good feature in London Review of Books (November 2015)