Kay's Marvellous Medicine: A Gross and Gruesome History of the Human Body
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-10 00:51:41
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Adam Kay
- ISBN：0241508541
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
The brand-new， hilarious book from bestselling， record-breaking author Adam Kay。
The olden days were pretty fun if you liked wearing chainmail or chopping people's heads off but there was one TINY LITTLE problem back then 。 。 。 doctors didn't have the slightest clue about how our bodies worked。
It's time to find out why Ancient Egyptians thought the brain was just a useless load of old stuffing that might as well be chucked in the bin， why teachers forced their pupils to smoke cigarettes， why hairdressers would cut off their customers' legs， and why people used to get paid for farting。 （Unfortunately that's no longer a thing - sorry。）
You'll get answers to questions like:
Why did patients gargle with wee？
How did a doctor save people's lives using a washing machine， a can of beans and some old sausages？
What was the great stink？ （No， it's not what doctors call your bum。）
If you're sure you're ready， then pop a peg on your nose （there was a lot of stinky pus back then）， pull on your wellies （there was a lot of poo there too）， wash your hands （because they certainly didn't） and explore this gross and gruesome history of the human body！
Praise for Kay's Anatomy:
'An enjoyably gross look at the human body。 Hours of gruesome fun guaranteed' i
'Like listening to a teacher who makes pupils fall about' Sunday Times
'Totally brilliant！' Jacqueline Wilson
'Fun and informative' Malorie Blackman
'Very funny - this exciting book is bound to inspire the next generation of medics' Sunday Express
The olden days were pretty fun if you liked wearing chainmail or chopping people's heads off but there was one TINY LITTLE problem back then 。 。 。 doctors didn't have the slightest clue about how our bodies worked。
It's time to find out why Ancient Egyptians thought the brain was just a useless load of old stuffing that might as well be chucked in the bin， why teachers forced their pupils to smoke cigarettes， why hairdressers would cut off their customers' legs， and why people used to get paid for farting。 （Unfortunately that's no longer a thing - sorry。）
You'll get answers to questions like:
Why did patients gargle with wee？
How did a doctor save people's lives using a washing machine， a can of beans and some old sausages？
What was the great stink？ （No， it's not what doctors call your bum。）
If you're sure you're ready， then pop a peg on your nose （there was a lot of stinky pus back then）， pull on your wellies （there was a lot of poo there too）， wash your hands （because they certainly didn't） and explore this gross and gruesome history of the human body！
Praise for Kay's Anatomy:
'An enjoyably gross look at the human body。 Hours of gruesome fun guaranteed' i
'Like listening to a teacher who makes pupils fall about' Sunday Times
'Totally brilliant！' Jacqueline Wilson
'Fun and informative' Malorie Blackman
'Very funny - this exciting book is bound to inspire the next generation of medics' Sunday Express
Reviews
Yasimoh。
，
Dope
Stephanie
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*3。5 starsAs per usual， this Adam Kay book was absolutely hilarious and witty。 I loved the details into each period in history he went into and the little comments by Prunella :）
Helen
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3。5 stars。
Reuben
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Great and funny book for people learning about the human body！
Anna
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Brilliant 。 What a sense of humour Adam Kay has。 It's gross but funny and factual at the same time 。Really enjoyed it。Children and adults alike will love this book。 Brilliant 。 What a sense of humour Adam Kay has。 It's gross but funny and factual at the same time 。Really enjoyed it。Children and adults alike will love this book。 。。。more
Rachael
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Funny trip through history of medicine。 Each chapter covering a section of the body filled with facts and discoveries throughout the ages。
Tina
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Dr Kay does Horrible Biology。 Entertaining and lots of bums！
LudmilaM
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Very very funny and entertaining look at history of medicine。 Loved the interesting stories connected to various people and medical practises over the course of history。 Made me wonder though how many facts were oversimplyfied for the sake of funny kid's book， or were rather just interpretations of facts by a modern doctor。 Very very funny and entertaining look at history of medicine。 Loved the interesting stories connected to various people and medical practises over the course of history。 Made me wonder though how many facts were oversimplyfied for the sake of funny kid's book， or were rather just interpretations of facts by a modern doctor。 。。。more
Xanthi
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I listened to this on audiobook format， read by the author himself。Think: Horrible Histories but for medical history。 It was interesting and entertaining but lacked the appeal of HH in that it relied a lot on gross outs （common in kid’s books ） and it got a bit too silly at times。 Yes， there’s gruesome stuff and some silliness in HH books but Deary manages to inject enough for entertainment and attention grabbing for his younger audiences， without going too far。 I kind of felt as if the author o I listened to this on audiobook format， read by the author himself。Think: Horrible Histories but for medical history。 It was interesting and entertaining but lacked the appeal of HH in that it relied a lot on gross outs （common in kid’s books ） and it got a bit too silly at times。 Yes， there’s gruesome stuff and some silliness in HH books but Deary manages to inject enough for entertainment and attention grabbing for his younger audiences， without going too far。 I kind of felt as if the author of this book was dumbing things down a little too much for his audience。 。。。more
🌶 peppersocks 🧦
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Reflections and lessons learned:“What is plastic surgery？ Is it where you have Lego stitched to your face？”I work in a hospital library - I have access to a large range of medical books， including some about history but would they include the phrase ‘weird bum rash googling’ so accurately？ An ideal comedy book making a traditionally austere subject fantastically stupid and approachable - would I have got a better mark in my double science gcse had I listened to this for context on human biology？ Reflections and lessons learned:“What is plastic surgery？ Is it where you have Lego stitched to your face？”I work in a hospital library - I have access to a large range of medical books， including some about history but would they include the phrase ‘weird bum rash googling’ so accurately？ An ideal comedy book making a traditionally austere subject fantastically stupid and approachable - would I have got a better mark in my double science gcse had I listened to this for context on human biology？ I genuinely think that I may have done！ One for my kids to try before high school to understand the subject and the importance of the classic family repeated Christian Jessen mantra “there’s no shame， we’re all the same…”， as we have been for a long old time， including sparkle times 。。。more
Selina Litt
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I listen to the audio version and can imagine it on TV。The music and sound effects are already in place。 I didn’t know you could squeeze so much toilet humour into one book。 Even though it’s not aimed at me， I still learnt lots。
Nicola Forster
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It was very informative and also very amusing。 A great read alongside my 9 year old。
Mrs Boyce
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This book is hilarious - the writer adds personal notes from himself and from the perspective of his great aunt。 （FE Y8）
Emilee
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Adam gives Horrible Histories a run for its money and I enjoyed it very much！
Caity
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I have previously read Adam Kay’s adult non-fiction books ‘This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor’ and ‘Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas’， both memoirs of his time working as a junior doctor。 I was curious to see how he got on with writing about medical history for children， and in a word: brilliant。 Adam has made this book so accessible to children and explained complicated concepts in fun ways。 The audiobook gave me the exact same vibe that I get from watching Horrible Hi I have previously read Adam Kay’s adult non-fiction books ‘This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor’ and ‘Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas’， both memoirs of his time working as a junior doctor。 I was curious to see how he got on with writing about medical history for children， and in a word: brilliant。 Adam has made this book so accessible to children and explained complicated concepts in fun ways。 The audiobook gave me the exact same vibe that I get from watching Horrible Histories， super engaging， memorable， and genuinely funny。I also appreciate *so much* what Adam is doing to encourage the younger population to be more accepting。 He spends a lot of time talking about mental health and that some people struggle and that it’s okay， no different from a broken arm or infected tooth and there is no shame in seeking help。 He talks at multiple points throughout the book about discrimination against women both as patients and those seeking careers in the medical field。 He tells the stories of Florence Nightingale， Mary Seacole， Marie Curie， James Barry， Elizabeth Garrett Anderson， Madam C。 J。 Walker， and many other female figures in medicine。 He even mentions the fact that he has a husband。 In normalising these things for kids we are working towards making them more accepting and understanding adults。I would 100% recommend this as a way for kids to learn about medicine and the human body。 It does include a lot of blood and guts （but in a pretty kid-friendly way obviously） and there is a short section on reproduction。 As long as the kids are old enough to handle that kind of material it’s a brilliant introduction！ 。。。more
Vanne
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Gelezen voor Biblion alwaar de gehele recensie zal verschijnen。 Wow， wat een lekker dik boek vol geschiedkundige feiten vanuit de geneeskunde。 Het is zoveel informatie， dat ik het in etappes moest lezen。 En ja， die verzonnen feitjes tussendoor （staat trouwens keurig aangegeven ondersteboven onder ieder blokje feiten）， die houden je wel scherp。 Vroeger wisten mensen niet hoe ons lichaam werkt （nog steeds niet helemaal trouwens， vandaar de kijkjes te toekomst in aan het einde van ieder hoofdstuk）。 Gelezen voor Biblion alwaar de gehele recensie zal verschijnen。 Wow， wat een lekker dik boek vol geschiedkundige feiten vanuit de geneeskunde。 Het is zoveel informatie， dat ik het in etappes moest lezen。 En ja， die verzonnen feitjes tussendoor （staat trouwens keurig aangegeven ondersteboven onder ieder blokje feiten）， die houden je wel scherp。 Vroeger wisten mensen niet hoe ons lichaam werkt （nog steeds niet helemaal trouwens， vandaar de kijkjes te toekomst in aan het einde van ieder hoofdstuk）。 Als je ziek werd waren niet alle medicijnen en behandelingen even effectief。 Grappig informatief boek over de geschiedenis van de geneeskunde， geschreven door een komiek en ex-dokter， speciaal voor nieuwsgierige kinderen die ook van humor houden。 In 13 hoofdstukken leer je hoe mensen dachten over het lichaam， ziekten en medicijnen， boordevol historie， onderverdeeld in thema’s zoals het brein， infecties， chirurgie， botten en genetica。 。。。more
Isaac ALLEN
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I like it because I keep learning things。
Evelyn
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Very interesting and funny。 It didn’t take me long to read but I enjoyed it all the same。
Enor
，
The sequel to Adam Kay's first book takes a gruesome turn for what all the people did wrong（and some rights） throughout history。 Along with comments from Great Aunt Prunella， of course！ The sequel to Adam Kay's first book takes a gruesome turn for what all the people did wrong（and some rights） throughout history。 Along with comments from Great Aunt Prunella， of course！ 。。。more
Judie
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Granddaughter found this informative and very funny。。。。 Great for youngsters
Lola
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This was a very funny book and taught me lots about the people of the past and the body。 Overall it was very good and I enjoyed it a lot。
Darcy
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Hi :） gud book
Julie
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I have said this before， but I'm n0t an objective critic when it comes to Adam Kay's writing because:a。 his depiction of life as a doctor in the NHS is the most accurate one I've read so far b。 he liked one of my tweets that was addressed at himc。 he's really funny at his book signingsd。 The Amateur Transplants were amazingSo this book gets 5 stars too。 To my surprise， I did end up learning a few things which are not routinely covered in the medical curriculum。 You learn very little about female I have said this before， but I'm n0t an objective critic when it comes to Adam Kay's writing because:a。 his depiction of life as a doctor in the NHS is the most accurate one I've read so far b。 he liked one of my tweets that was addressed at himc。 he's really funny at his book signingsd。 The Amateur Transplants were amazingSo this book gets 5 stars too。 To my surprise， I did end up learning a few things which are not routinely covered in the medical curriculum。 You learn very little about female representation （or lack thereof） in medicine， and I think the snippets highlighting the contributions of female doctors and scientists fly the flag of representation and inclusivity。 And it's funny。 Deffo a book I'll recommend to my kids one day！ 。。。more
Kayla P
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I’ve reviewed Kay’s previous novel， all I can say is it was FANTASTIC。 Adam Kay has not stopped there， no， not at all！ A THOROUGHLY fun and educational book on the history of Medicine and a brilliant start for children who would like to learn more beyond their Biology and History lessons！ Credits to Adam Kay （once again！） I loved how it was chronologically ordered and I loved the so-called Sparkle Time （Medieval Times）！
Holly H
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I loved it because it has so many cool facts。It made me laugh so much。😂
Eibhilin
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Adam Kay's Marvellous Medicine， by Adam who was a doctor and is now a comedian and author， is a brilliantly written children's book about the body。 The illustrations， tone and humour are spot on for children， （ and immature adults！）， and his editor's "notes" on his text throughout are a nice touch！While there's a lot of humour in the book， it's also very supportive of children， especially the section on mental health， where he encourages children to speak to someone if they are concerned about t Adam Kay's Marvellous Medicine， by Adam who was a doctor and is now a comedian and author， is a brilliantly written children's book about the body。 The illustrations， tone and humour are spot on for children， （ and immature adults！）， and his editor's "notes" on his text throughout are a nice touch！While there's a lot of humour in the book， it's also very supportive of children， especially the section on mental health， where he encourages children to speak to someone if they are concerned about their mental health or someone else's。This is similar to the Horrible History series in tone， and the workings of the body are explained very clearly。I recommend this！ 。。。more
Amelia
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It is so informative and funny！ It contains information that would normally be grim and gory but Adam Kay makes them funny！ His great aunt Prunella puts in little comments by the way。
George Foord
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Although aimed for children I didn't learnt much and was more silly than factual。 Although aimed for children I didn't learnt much and was more silly than factual。 。。。more
Agnieszka Teresko
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This was such a great books！ It may be addressed mainly to kids， but I've had so much fun reading it！ I've spent hours searching for even more information on all these interesting things this book covers。Also， the illustrations are just amazing， so clever and amusing！It makes a great gift for anyone and everyone！ This was such a great books！ It may be addressed mainly to kids， but I've had so much fun reading it！ I've spent hours searching for even more information on all these interesting things this book covers。Also， the illustrations are just amazing， so clever and amusing！It makes a great gift for anyone and everyone！ 。。。more
Mehsi
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