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This non-fiction by Roopa Pai discusses 25 ideas/innovations/discoveries/inventions that have shaped the modern medicinal science; old texts, perception on the causes of diseases, the birth of anatomy, history of vaccination, emergence of new branches such as microbiology, epidemiology, techniques, and equipment such as x-ray, stethescope etc., to name a few. These ideas are divided in four sections, and grouped based on the time-period that they belonged to.

While the number of pages startled me at first, the text was very friendly, for a curious amateur in the field. Be it the anecdotal part, or technical content (experiments, processes involved in innovations, processes and structures in human body etc.), the language is lucid, and the articulation such that irrespective of the complexity of the content, it’s all comprehensible, fun and enjoyable. The author successfully retained my interest and attention throughout.