This narrative history from Lovett (humanities, Keele U., UK) and Tomkins (history, Keele U., UK) adds to the field of medical humanities by tracing the evolution of knowledge pertaining to a variety of medical conditions. The book is divided into sections addressing emergency care, lifestyle practices such as diet, substance use, and sex, reproductive health, infectious disease, development and aging, diagnosis, intervention, and practitioner roles. Each chapter elaborates the history of a practice or idea, ending with bullet points grounding contemporary relevance. Although aimed at health practitioners, the text is accessible and engaging to a variety of audiences. Distributed in the US by Martin P. Hill Consulting. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)