“25 Explosive Ideas that Made (and Are Making) Modern Medicine”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
Children’s author Roopa Pai puts her experience as engineer to good use. She explores the nuts and bolts of what makes history interesting. In this particular book she explores 25 ideas that made modern medicine, well aware of the fact that most children will groan and cry that they do not want to be doctors. She highlights the fact that ancient Indian concepts of treating mind, body and spirit as a single entity are gradually infiltrating Western medicine with theories of holistic care.
From Leeches to Slug Glue covers developments in the history of medicine beginning with Ayurveda and going on to Avicenna and the Islamic Golden Age, the Renaissance and more. There are anecdotes of experiments like that of Van Leuwenhoek who was a Dutch cloth merchant and discovered microorganisms while studying fabric through a lens. Or Leonardo who studied human anatomy.
A great deal of research has gone into the book and children who are allergic to lots of text may have to be coaxed into going through the 25 chapters. However, science and history teachers will be delighted if the effort is made since blood circulation, vaccination, the Red Cross and other important topics like compassion for the mentally ill are covered in detail, conversationally and precisely. There is also a whole lot of trivia to be picked up and fun illustrations accompanying the text which will make it perfect for those ubiquitous projects that crop up in school life.
Reviewed by:
Anjana Basu
Added 22nd January 2020
