The Surgeon, The Midwife, The Quack

‘From “puppy water” to wince-worthy surgery, The Surgeon, The Midwife, The Quack by Alanna Skuse is an entertaining history of medicine… Skuse brings a deep familiarity with the contemporary sources and a dry wit… Skuse treads a thoughtful line between the weird and the touching.’ —The Sunday Times

‘Fascinating.’ —Daily Mail

‘A positive pharmacopoeia of physic from a bygone age… Eye-opening and perception changing, with just the right amount of gore, a must-read.’ —Prof John Tregoning, author of Infectious

‘Astonishing… Skuse’s meticulously researched and deliciously detailed book brings a vivid cast of characters out of the shadows, and gives a proper place to the unsung pioneers.’ —Victoria Shepherd, author of A History of Delusions

Dr. Alanna Skuse is a literary scholar, historian, and author with a focus on stories about medicine, bodies, and Renaissance England. She teaches literature as Associate Professor at the University of Reading and has published academic books and articles on the history of cancer, surgery, disability, Shakespeare, and self-harm. She also runs public history projects, and writes and broadcasts for BBC Radio, Wellcome Stories, the Conversation, and History Today.