The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth

September 15, 2018
A Ripley-esque collection of "compellingly disgusting, hilarious, or downright bizarre" medical oddities.British journalist and medical historian Morris (The Matter of the Heart: A History of the Heart in ElevenOperations, 2018), a regular writer for the Lancet, scoured 300 years of medical literature's "little-known corners" to ferret out 60-plus cases that reach the level of believe-it-or-not's. "Every one of these cases says something about the beliefs and knowledge of an earlier age," he writes. He presents the cases in anecdotal fashion, with numerous quotes from the published articles, accompanied by the author's witty and often humorous, colloquial commentary. The cases are divided into seven sections, including "Mysterious Illnesses," "Horrifying Operations," and "Remarkable Recoveries." In the "Unfortunate Predicaments" file, we find the 1823 case of a sailor who, when sufficiently inebriated, would swallow clasp-knives "for a laugh." He once swallowed three in succession and, at another time, over two days, 14; ultimately, 35 in all: "Dear oh dear. Will he never learn?" Most passed, but some, an autopsy revealed, remained, partially digested. Then there's the 1827 case of a boy "who got his wick stuck in a candlestick." He was unable to urinate, so they finally operated, and an enormous jet of urine "projected" onto the doctor. "Charming." Like quirky Perry Mason book titles, the list unwinds: the boy who vomited his own twin, the case of the luminous patients, the case of the drunken Dutchman's guts, the self-inflicted lithotripsy, the combustible countess, the death of a 152-year-old, the human waxwork, the amphibious infant, and the man killed by his false teeth. In 1857, San Francisco surgeon Dr. Elias Samuel Cooper performed a two-plus-hour heart surgery, an "unthinkable" feat. He removed a piece of metal from beneath a beating heart while the patient "was fully conscious." For its time, Morris writes, "there is virtually nothing to match this operation for complexity and sheer jeopardy."Amusing and often painful items best taken in small doses.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 15, 2018

Medical historian Morris (The Matter of the Heart) documents strange, inspiring, and sometimes ghastly tales of treatments that show how the medical field has evolved in the past three centuries. What were once standard, "validated" practices will seem absurd to modern readers. Organized by general illness type, the first chapter explores "unfortunate predicaments" of peculiar situations, from those with various kitchen utensils lodged in bodily canals to people having swallowed knives. Other sections focus on mysterious ailments, or drownings. The stories reveal the pathos and earnest intent of physicians treating their patients based on then-current beliefs. However, the author also discusses charlatans, including one doctor who claimed to revive patients who spent weeks underwater. The vast amount of material from diverse sources will amuse readers and leave them shaking their heads, while Morris's attempts at humor occasionally make it seem as though he does not recognize the real suffering patients endured. VERDICT This informative, fascinating look at the history of medicine will be of interest to general readers.--Aaron Klink, Duke Univ., Durham, NC

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.