Sometimes gory and always fascinating, this short booklist touches on the history of medicine, hospitals, surgery, forensics, and more. Explore the birth of germ theory, the ascent of forensic science, the evolution of two New York locales (Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital and Roosevelt Island), and some cures that turned out to be worse than the disease. 

Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything  by Lydia Kang, MD, and Nate Pedersen

This horrifying yet somehow humorous book covers some of the most unfortunate attempted cures in history, including bloodletting, lobotomy, and the touting of mercury as a miracle cure for melancholy, syphilis, parasites and, well, pretty much every affliction. 

The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine by Lindsey Fitzharris

Both a biography of Joseph Lister and an overview of nineteenth century understanding of germ theory and antiseptics. Often disturbing—particularly some of the descriptions of surgery—but fascinating. 

Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital by David Oshinsky

A riveting history of one of the world's most famous hospitals. Since its start in 1738, Bellevue has been an almshouse, treated thousands of Civil War soldiers, launched the first civilian ambulance corps, and still exists today as a vital public hospital. 

Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th-Century New York by Stacy Horn

Silent Witnesses: The Often Gruesome but Always Fascinating History of Forensic Science  by Nigel McCrery

An overview of forensic science over the last two centuries told through stories of some of the grand figures of forensic science and some of the most notorious crimes. 

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore

Opium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World by John H. Halpern, MD and David Blistein​

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Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!