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Moira Dolan

Even the greatest minds in medicine have been terribly, terribly wrong.

The inventor of the lobotomy won a Nobel prize in medicine for destroying his patients' brains. Another Nobel laureate thought malaria cured syphilis. The discoverer of anaphylactic shock also researched the spirit world and ESP. A pioneer of organ transplants was an ardent eugenicist, while the founder of sports physiology heroically spoke out against Nazism.

Boneheads and Brainiacs profiles the winners of the Nobel Prize in Medicine from 1901 to 1950—a surprisingly diverse group of racists, cranks, and opportunists, as well as heroes, geniuses, and selfless benefactors of humanity. Forget all the ivory tower stereotypes of white-coated doctors finding miracle cures. Boneheads and Brainiacs reveals the messy human reality behind medical progress, in a highly entertaining book written for the ordinary reader.

Some were bad scientists; others were great scientists and lousy human beings. But the majority of these researchers produced knowledge that now saves millions of lives—priceless discoveries like the role of vitamins in nutrition, the dangers of radiation, treatments for diabetes and deadly infectious diseases, and more. Boneheads and Brainiacs showcases the enthralling, all-too-human personal lives that made modern medicine possible.

Quill Driver Books

Boneheads and Brainiacs

Boneheads and Brainiacs: Heroes and Scoundrels of the Nobel Prize in Medicine

Key Selling Points:

Outrageously entertaining • : A fascinating, funny, and occasionally disturbing look at the all-too-human side of medical research, from the personal foibles of Nobel laureates to the sometimes dangerous pseudoscience embraced by medical practitioners.
Informative but not boring • : A great introduction to the history and practice of medical research for the lay reader, written in an easy, entertaining style.
Humanizes medicine • : Challenging stereotypes of ivory tower academics pursuing pure truth, 
Heroes and Scoundrels • uncovers the human biases, politics, and sometimes tawdry personal motivations that drive researchers to advance medical science and practice.

Audience:

 • Readers interested in the history of medicine and science.
 • Medical professionals.

Heroes and Scoundrels: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Nobel Prize in Medicine