Medical Mayhem

Gr 4–7—A quick and dirty rundown of medical practices from prehistory to the 20th century, this title relishes scientific missteps—from animal dung ointments to lobotomies—but mars its own fun with racially offensive illustrations. Readers seeking real-life grossness will enjoy the short chapters and high-interest sidebars (plague suits! coffin torpedoes!); those hoping for citations and historical detail will need to look elsewhere. One of four "Twisted True Tales from Science" publishing simultaneously, this volume packs in a delightful range of revolting efforts to treat injury and disease, though the superficial coverage—particularly in the sections tackling early history—suffers from generalizations and occasionally flirts with inaccuracy. Color and black-and-white artwork enliven the text throughout, but many students will be taken aback to find two chapters headed by offensive caricatures of a Native American man and an Asian man. Hands-on activities sprinkled throughout may appeal to some budding experimenters.