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Mustn't Grumble: The Surprising Science of Everyday Ailments and Why We’re Always a Bit Ill
A fascinating and insightful book about the multitude of minor ailments that we live with every day of the year, and what we can learn about them
One of the many strange effects of the 2020 pandemic has been to make us much more vigilant about the state of our health in general and about minor symptoms in particular. And this, in turn, has made us more conscious that we all feel slightly out of sorts a great deal of the time, maybe even every day.
This book is not about what happens when we're ill with something sufficiently serious to send us to the doctor or to confine us to bed. Instead, it focuses on the multitude of mild, irksome, distracting illnesses, aches, and pains with which we all put up with constantly.
Covering 120 ailments, Graham explains the latest scientific thinking about everything from blackheads to chilblains; dead legs to haemorrhoids; ear wax to hiccups; and hay fever to heat stroke. It's a mixture of science and history, with a light touch, and provides practical information about each ailment.
One of the many strange effects of the 2020 pandemic has been to make us much more vigilant about the state of our health in general and about minor symptoms in particular. And this, in turn, has made us more conscious that we all feel slightly out of sorts a great deal of the time, maybe even every day.
This book is not about what happens when we're ill with something sufficiently serious to send us to the doctor or to confine us to bed. Instead, it focuses on the multitude of mild, irksome, distracting illnesses, aches, and pains with which we all put up with constantly.
Covering 120 ailments, Graham explains the latest scientific thinking about everything from blackheads to chilblains; dead legs to haemorrhoids; ear wax to hiccups; and hay fever to heat stroke. It's a mixture of science and history, with a light touch, and provides practical information about each ailment.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2021
14 people are currently reading
157 people want to read
About the author
Graham Lawton
4 books19 followersGraham Lawton is a staff writer at New Scientist with a focus on life sciences, biomedicine, earth sciences and the environment. He has a first-class honours degree in biochemistry and an MSc with distinction in science communication, both from Imperial College London. He has worked at New Scientist since 2000 in various roles including features editor, opinion editor, deputy editor, executive editor and acting editor. He now writes features, opinion articles and a monthly column No Planet B.
His writing has also been published in The Times, The Sunday Times, The i and The Sun and he has made multiple appearances on national radio and television. In 2023, he won writer of the year at the Professional Publishers Association awards. In 2019 he was shortlisted for the British Journalism Awards science writer of the year, and been shortlisted numerous times by the Association of British Science Writers awards. He is the author of three books: The Origin of (Almost) Everything, This Book Could Save Your Life and Mustn’t Grumble: The surprising science of everyday ailments and why we’re always a bit ill.
His writing has also been published in The Times, The Sunday Times, The i and The Sun and he has made multiple appearances on national radio and television. In 2023, he won writer of the year at the Professional Publishers Association awards. In 2019 he was shortlisted for the British Journalism Awards science writer of the year, and been shortlisted numerous times by the Association of British Science Writers awards. He is the author of three books: The Origin of (Almost) Everything, This Book Could Save Your Life and Mustn’t Grumble: The surprising science of everyday ailments and why we’re always a bit ill.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 26, 2022
Interesting account of the aches, strains and just about everything else that could ail you on a day to day basis, but not really be of concern. Where the author dips into the history of the conditions, the etymology of the words used to describe the ailments and/or the terms used for them in different languages the book is very interesting. There are also some good snippets of humour scattered through text - the joke in the headache chapter is brilliant! But, a lot of the chapters just present a condition and that's about it.
So, a good read for the causal or causal hypochondriac but could have done with a few more stories around the conditions to put it up there as a 4 or 5 star read.
So, a good read for the causal or causal hypochondriac but could have done with a few more stories around the conditions to put it up there as a 4 or 5 star read.
October 5, 2022
Don’t read this book if you’re squeamish or while eating.
Seeing the science side rather the medical side is super interesting.
Our bodies are true wonders and maybe we should be listening to them a lot more.
Seeing the science side rather the medical side is super interesting.
Our bodies are true wonders and maybe we should be listening to them a lot more.
September 29, 2022
Funny and educational. Some good stories about family members suffering from some of these ailments. Sciencey without being boring. And yes, I laughed my way through the burping and farting sections of the book. I'm that kind of human. And even after hundreds of years of medical science we still don't know why some things are happening in our bodies. Fascinating.
May 19, 2023
Sure, I don't feel ill, but according to this book I can be considered a bit ill most of the time.
Of course these illnesses do not require medical attention, as these are the everyday discomforts of being alive and taking risks like exercising, approaching animals and people, and putting foods into our system.
And if all of this makes you too self-conscious, you might also covertly become a hypochondriac.
I enjoyed reading this book, especially the sections on the gut. I have been doing some research on problems like leaky gut for personal reasons during the past, say 5 years, and I found the section on the gut in this book not to be lacking in info. :)
The only thing I did find slightly off-putting is the assertion of the author that humans are animals descended from a monkey ancestor, that the world is several millions of years old and that there is no God. I beg to differ. I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I found it unnecessary that a book on minor illness should make these statements. The author is free to do so, but it did take some of my enjoyment of reading away, unfortunately.
Of course these illnesses do not require medical attention, as these are the everyday discomforts of being alive and taking risks like exercising, approaching animals and people, and putting foods into our system.
And if all of this makes you too self-conscious, you might also covertly become a hypochondriac.
I enjoyed reading this book, especially the sections on the gut. I have been doing some research on problems like leaky gut for personal reasons during the past, say 5 years, and I found the section on the gut in this book not to be lacking in info. :)
The only thing I did find slightly off-putting is the assertion of the author that humans are animals descended from a monkey ancestor, that the world is several millions of years old and that there is no God. I beg to differ. I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I found it unnecessary that a book on minor illness should make these statements. The author is free to do so, but it did take some of my enjoyment of reading away, unfortunately.
April 21, 2025
This was a great little book, a perfect popular science book for me on the human body and our various little ailments, essentially everything we complain about but don't need treatment for.
My main takeaways were that headaches are generally fine unless they really aren't and there is just so much we don't know such as why we can't sneeze with out eyes open, why our heaches hurt and what actually causes them.
Also it's wild how many people have certain viruses such as a 2/3rds have HPV virus .
Alot of the treatments are lifestyle improvements and time. Although I think I need to read a book about big killer diseases so I don't dismiss everything as a minor grumble.
Also had one of the more harrowing openings to a book
My main takeaways were that headaches are generally fine unless they really aren't and there is just so much we don't know such as why we can't sneeze with out eyes open, why our heaches hurt and what actually causes them.
Also it's wild how many people have certain viruses such as a 2/3rds have HPV virus .
Alot of the treatments are lifestyle improvements and time. Although I think I need to read a book about big killer diseases so I don't dismiss everything as a minor grumble.
Also had one of the more harrowing openings to a book
April 29, 2025
Really informative and good humoured.
August 30, 2025
Quick fun-ish look at the most common ailments one may experience as a walking germ factory & parasitic buffet aka human.
November 12, 2021
This started off as a three star then ended as a four.
Three stars because the first sections were very short and I feared the book would be very bitty overall, almost like a loo book, one to dip in and out of when you have time. Four stars because the following sections were meatier and really interesting.
Recommended for a layman.
Three stars because the first sections were very short and I feared the book would be very bitty overall, almost like a loo book, one to dip in and out of when you have time. Four stars because the following sections were meatier and really interesting.
Recommended for a layman.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews