The History of Medicine is an amiable amble through medicine's past, designed as a primer for those taking history of medicine modules as part of their studies and for the wider public seeking a relaxed yet informative read.

The approach is to follow medicine's history through the author's neatly designed 'Ages' that offer a meaningful way of grasping and memorising key eras and events. Twenty one 'Ages' take us from 'pre-history' to a glimpse of the future. The chapters' themes will clearly straddle timelines rather than be perfectly chronological, although there is a general progression through time.

This book is not a description of all that ever happened in medicine's history. It is a collection of true stories of the more pivotal and fascinating bits. Through stories of inspiring and often odd people and inspired and often distinctly unexpected objects we take a journey through the archipelago of medicine's somewhat quirky history and stop on the shores of some of its more alluring islands. Then, armed with the map, the more keenly disposed may dip into the surrounding waters as far and as deeply as they choose.