Review : Pills and spills

Robert M. Youngson’s Medical Curiosities (Robinson, London, £6.99, ISBN
1 85487 902 2) is worth a read, if only to discover that barbiturates are named
after a Munich waitress called Barbara, who donated all her urine for chemical
study. There are plenty of other fascinating anecdotes here, but like many books
of this kind, it lacks both organisation and an index. You have to wade through
much mediocrity to grab a gem.