INTRODUCING HEALTH CARE IN TIMES PAST - How our ancestors coped with illness and death by Ian Waller FSG FGRA - FOUR VOLUME SET

by Ian Waller FSG FGRA 

INTRODUCING HEALTH CARE IN TIMES PAST - How our ancestors coped with illness and death

AVAILABLE AS INDIVIDUAL BOOKS, OR DISCOUNTED AS A COMPLETE SET OF FOUR VOLUMES (ITEM CODE: HEALTHx4)

In this series of four illustrated volumes, the life and times of our ancestors and their health care is revealed. It is an immense topic, and after years of meticulous research, a comprehensive chronicle about illness and health care from cradle to grave is the result.

The two underlying themes are how our ancestors dealt with their own health and how the medics coped with each new disease or epidemic that came along. We learn what our ancestors did when they were ill - where did they go for help...who treated them...and how?

The fables and folklore behind early medicine are exposed as well as myths and traditions which lived on for decades. The everyday hazards of life in bygone days are explained well as the author paints a vivid picture of the various difficulties faced and overcome by our forebears and medics alike.

We are introduced to doctors and surgeons; pharmacists, apothecaries and quacks; barber-surgeons, dentists and medical specialists; nurses and midwives; pioneers, medical researchers, inventors and by no means least, medical volunteers and charities. We visit their places of work including the temporary ones in time of war.

The four-book set is by popular author Ian Waller so you know you are in for an informative read!

Volume 1 describes how medicine evolved through the centuries. It discusses various medicinal practices by wise women and witches in medieval times through to quacks, apothecaries and then how health care became more prioritised and organised with trained doctors, nurses and others. There are chapters on different kinds of hospitals from almshouses and poor law infirmaries to the more modern hospitals of today. It also discusses some famous medical pioneers and developments in heath care from very basic medical equipment to vaccinations and penicillin.

 

Volume 2 covers diseases through the centuries in some detail ranging from evil spirits in the head in medieval times, various epidemics and hereditary diseases to childhood disorders. The section on accidents at work covers agricultural work to the Industrial Revolution and much more. This volume also examines some unusual cures and remedies, especially those in earlier times, and uncovers some myths and folklore too.

 

Volume 3 is all about birth, death and funerals. It covers how our ancestors dealt with childbirth centuries ago from basic care in medieval times to Victorian trends – and includes some odd superstitions about childbirth too. As sure as night follows day, death follows birth and the causes of death are examined in detail in this volume. This volume includes extensive details about funerals and how they have changed over the years. The volume ends by discussing the asylum system and how our ancestors dealt with mental illnesses.

 

Volume 4 covers all aspects of medical care in the military from the Crusades in the twelfth century, the Battle of Agincourt, the Napoleonic and Crimean Wars through to the extensive care dealing with casualties in both world wars.  The methods of transporting the wounded in the war zones are examined including the various military and volunteer groups that were involved such as naval nursing, volunteer aid detachments, the British Red Cross and many others. There are also extensive details of medicine, heath care and surgery at sea.  This volume ends with the transition to the NHS and details about the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine.