Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 261-278) and index.

The world's first physician : Hippocrates and the discovery of medicine -- How cholera saved civilization : the discovery of sanitation -- Invisible invaders : the discovery of germs and how they cause disease -- For the relief of unbearable pain : the discovery of anesthesia -- I'm looking through you : the discovery of X-rays -- The scratch that saved a million lives : the discovery of vaccines -- From ancient molds to modern miracles : the discovery of antibiotics -- Breaking God's code : the discovery of heredity, genetics, and DNA -- Medicines for the mind : the discovery of drugs for madness, sadness, and fear -- A return to tradition : the rediscovery of alternative medicine -- Epilogue.