Published August, 2011
By David Wright
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Series: Biographies of Disease
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Down's Syndrome is a mental disability with very distinctive characteristics. David Wright looks at the care and treatment of Down's sufferers - described for much of history as 'idiots' - since Medieval Europe right up to the present day; considering the change in attitudes, care, and identification of the condition in the modern era.

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Published August, 2010
By David Weatherall
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP Oxford)
Series: Biographies of Disease
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Availability: Not available (reason unspecified)

Thalassaemia is the most common type of genetic disorder and yet public awareness of it is very low. Written by Sir David Weatherall, a leading authority in the area, the book describes early reports of the disease, historical accounts of its identification as an inherited disease, and considers recent developments in its treatment.

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Published May, 2010
By Sander L. Gilman and Sander L. Gillman
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Series: Biographies of Disease
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Obesity is an important medical concern in today's society. In this fascinating account, Sander L. Gilman examines the perceptions and attitudes to obesity from classical times to the present day. Considering changing attitudes to the body and debates about whether obesity is a physiological or psychological problem, he explores its rich history.

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Published October, 2009
By Mark Jackson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Series: Biographies of Disease
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The story of asthma stretches from antiquity to the present day, and perceptions of the disease have shifted with time. Mark Jackson describes not only the growing medical understanding of asthma, but shifting cultural views, from artisans' disease to Proust's elegant suffering. Asthma is part of the series, Biographies of Diseases.

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Published October, 2009
By Robert Tattersall
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Series: Biographies of Disease
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Diabetes is increasing rapidly in the modern world, with changing lifestyles, but it has a long history. Robert Tattersall describes the story of diabetes, from the ancient world, through the hopes generated by insulin, to growing concerns about its rapid rise in the young today. Diabetes is part of the series, Biographies of Diseases

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Published October, 2009
By Christopher Hamlin
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP Oxford)
Series: Biographies of Disease
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Cholera is a dangerous and frightening disease that can kill within hours. Chris Hamlin not only tells how the bacterial cause of cholera was discovered, but describes the experience of different countries, some of which continue to struggle with the disease today. Cholera is part of the Oxford series, Biographies of Diseases.

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Published October, 2009
By Andrew Scull
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP Oxford)
Series: Biographies of Disease
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The story of hysteria is a curious one, for it persists as an illness for centuries before disappearing. Andrew Scull gives a fascinating account of this socially constructed disease that came to be strongly associated with women, showing the shifts in social, cultural, and medical perceptions through history.

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