Ruth Clifford Engs - Bizarre Medicine: Unusual Treatments and Practices through the Ages

This work is aimed at a variety of students and the general reading public, including those interested in health and the medical sciences, history, sociology, and anthropology, among others. The purpose of this reference work is to briefly acquaint the reader with some information concerning common maladies from over the centuries. However, the focus is on unusual and bizarre treatments to manage or cure maladies from antiquity into the early twenty-first century primarily in the United States and English-speaking Western societies.

Each entry begins with a brief discussion of the symptoms and cause of the ailment. Some historical background and, if known, how the individual or society perceived the condition and the percentage of population affected are described. Following this, the derivation of the maladys name when it was first identified and its history over time are presented. Current treatments are briefly mentioned. Examples of its influence on military campaigns and its representation in the arts are mentioned.

In the second part of each entry, any unusual treatments from antiquity to the present for a particular condition are discussed. The reason for using a bizarre treatment, if known, is mentioned along with possible outcomes. In many cases, remedies were based upon trial and error or upon information discussed in the introduction of various theories. Some individual illnesses have been combined into an overall category. For example, the entry Sexually Transmitted Infections discusses several conditions such as syphilis, chlamydia, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These maladies are listed in the body of the reference and point to the entry where they can be found.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

For in-depth information, the reader will find an extensive bibliography that is from scholarly, governmental, professional, and academic internet sites.