Honey, Mud, Maggots, and Other Medical Marvels : The Science Behind Folk Remedies and Old Wives' Tales

Written with wit and narrative force, Honey, Mud, Maggots and Other Medical Marvels is an enriching excursion into the world of folk medicine. The award-winning team of Robert and MichelE Root-Bernstein provide a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of medical traditions. In addition to the honey, mud, and maggots used in wound therapy, the Root-Bernsteins unearth cures that range from ancient Egypt to the rain forests of contemporary Latin America. Whether it's the medicinal use of clay or the components of urine, all the cures in this book have one thing in common: they have stood the test of time because they work. With Nelson Runger's dynamic and sensitive narration, this studied collection of entertaining anecdotes about some weird-sounding-even stomach-churning-old remedies is in fact much more. It is a dazzling step into the closely-guarded secrets of medicine.