I had a weird problem with this book... The author was a charming looking man, with a big goofy grin and a lovely face. His author bio mentioned that he had recently died, or rather referred to him as “the late Roy Porter” every time I picked up this book, I got sad thinking that the world was missing such a great writing talent who must have died fairly young. It was weird and inexplicable, I’m not like that usually.

So, it took me a while to finish the book which is a fascinating history of medicine, including such subjects as surgery, hospitals and medical treatments. Each chapter is digestable and interesting in their own rights and when put together they are a really intriguing look at the medical establishment. The very last section, on medical insurance, is the only one where you get a peek at Porter’s populist tendencies where he briefly bemoans the lack of quality medical care available to people who can’t afford it and also the corporatization of something as human as caring for the sick.