Popular Science Children's Review - Cobwebs stop wounds bleeding

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Review - [Would you believe] Cobwebs stop wounds bleeding - Richard Platt

There's nothing like the history of medicine if you want to laugh at the follies of our ancestors. Because medicine became scientific so late there are plenty of horror stories to tell of the sort that young readers love, so the clumsily titled (the fault of the series, not the book) Would you believe cobwebs stop wounds bleeding and other medical marvels scores well on the entertainment and gross-out factor.

There's an enjoyable mix of the mad and wacky treatments that made patients worse alongside old cures that really do have some effect, like the cobwebs of the title. The book is mostly chronological, starting with drilling holes in heads 10,000 years ago and running through to anaesthetics and the like, though it doesn't cover really modern medicine that works at the genetic or molecular level. Occasionally the time frame is disrupted for a venture into a specific topic like quack medicine (which surely has been around as long as illness).

The content is light and enjoyable to read. The only fault (again, series-based rather than this specific book) is the page layout. Though it's a book from OUP it has the classic Dorling Kindersley two page spread approach, but these pages are just too busy - different shaped patches of words, lettering on dark backgrounds - some of the text can be quite difficult to read and there's no sense of order in how to find your way around the page. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the pages could give migraine sufferers a serious headache. But maybe that's my age speaking - most readers of the target age group will probably have no problem.

That apart - and noting that Richard Platt missed a trick in his quack medicine section by not mentioning that many of our popular fizzy drinks like colas originated as a form of quack medicine - it's enjoyable, informative and should do well.

Only in hardback

Reviewed by Jo Reed

* Our age range recommendation is an estimated guide, but individual readers outside the range could still enjoy the book!

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