From Leeches to Slug Glue is an extraordinary book on an unusual subject—the history of medicine—by one of India’s best-known children’s writers, Roopa Pai. Spanning 2500 years and several geographies, this book traces path-breaking experiments, advances, discoveries, and Eureka! moments in the evolution of science and medicine, right from ancient Ayurveda to the Islamic Golden Age, the European Renaissance and more. In its 25 chapters, the book explores breakthroughs like vaccination, anaesthesia, X-rays and the germ theory, apart from 'revolutionary' ideas like compassionate care for the mentally ill and mandatory hand-washing for surgeons. The fascinating stories, trivia, and quirky, fun artwork that complement the narrative, delivered in Pai's signature conversational style, add to the overall appeal. In an age when allopathy and its practitioners are being viewed with mistrust, and self-diagnosis has become a way of life, this is a critical and must-read book for young and old to realise how much of our largely disease-free lives, and safe, effective and pain-free surgical interventions, we owe to the brilliant and dedicated men and women of centuries past, who ushered in the young science of modern medicine.

THE BOOK
Did you know that it wasn’t a surgeon but a fifteenth-century Italian artist who contributed to the study of human anatomy? Or that a Dutch cloth merchant, by using a cutting-edge lens to check fabric quality, ended up discovering microorganisms? Find out all about the fascinating stories and people behind these and several other medical breakthroughs in this fun, info-packed book that traces 2500 years of human history and development in the field of health and healing. Chronicling the life journeys of some brilliant, dedicated and extraordinary men and women, this book gives us a glimpse into the glorious ways in which science and medicine have advanced through the ages, across continents. This book is a celebration and a tribute to doctors, healers and scientists whose vast curiosity fueled the innovations, inventions and discoveries that have made modern medicine.