Dead Ends!: Flukes, Flops & Failures That Sparked Medical Marvels

Ages 8 to 12

From a New York Times bestselling author, a gruesomely engrossing nonfiction book about failures that changed the history of medicine.

From the dynamic duo that brought us Plague-Busters, here are astonishing stories of medical failures and “dead ends”—the beliefs, diagnoses, experiments, and treatments that were completely ineffective (and often actively harmful), but also history-making, paving the way for breakthroughs, discoveries, and new understandings in medical science.

Organized around the various parts of the body—from brain, to heart, to limbs—Lindsey Fitzharris and Adrian Teal take readers on a journey through the centuries of dead ends, replete with riveting facts, pitch-perfect humor, and vivid illustrations. This history reminds us that flops, flukes, and failures have ultimately led doctors to a better understanding of human physiology and its treatment.

Here is a morbid, gross, and fascinating book sure to delight young readers and inspire them to embrace their failures, too!

About the Author

Lindsey Fitzharris is the bestselling author of The Butchering Art and The Facemaker. Dr. Fitzharris, who holds a Ph.D. in the History of Science and Medicine from Oxford University, regularly writes for the Wall Street Journal, Scientific American, and other major publications. She is also the writer and host of the Smithsonian Channel TV series The Curious Life and Death of . . .. drlindseyfitzharris.com

Adrian Teal is a caricaturist, cartoonist, fine artist, and illustrator with clients around the world. His work has appeared in numerous TV shows including Spitting Image and Big Heads. He has produced art for publications such as the Sunday Telegraph, the Times, the Guardian, and the Daily Mail. adrianteal.com