Was Mozart really buried in a pauper's grave? What role did yellow fever play in the construction of the Panama Canal? How did the painter, Renoir cope with rheumatoid arthritis in his old age? While history has vilified King Herod, could it be that the verdict has been overly harsh?
Just some questions (from among a very broad range of subject matter) that are looked at from historical and medical perspectives in Michael Whelton's engaging collection of essays. Written in a lively style and a manner that will intrigue but also satisfy inquisitive minds, this is book that will appeal to the general reader as much as those with specialist knowledge.
It is also a book that the reader will not find easy to put down, once started on a journey that trawls through medical annals, to probe popular misconceptions or shed new light on the personalities and events that have shaped history.
The author, Michael Whelton, is a retired medical doctor who has also dedicated himself to art and literary pursuits.