Medical Mysteries: From the Bizarre to the Deadly . . . The Cases That Have Baffled Doctors

by Ann Reynolds

Medical Mysteries takes you to the front lines of the medical fringe, where absolutely anything is possible. From the files of the hit ABC primetime show Medical Mysteries comes this impossible-to-put-down collection of the strangest medical stories you are ever likely to hear. Learn about the man who seems to be turning into a tree; the woman who's seasick--on land; the little girl who was born with all her organs reversed; and the musician who can hear everything inside his body--even his eyeballs moving back and forth in their sockets.. Put yourself in the examination room as doctors uncover and try to cure the most bizarre of medical conditions.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medical, Medicine, Science, Mystery

228 pages, Paperback

First published July 23, 2009

Reviews

[Mary Kamrath]

This is a very interesting collection of short stories, each about a specific and unusual syndrome or disease. Having enjoyed medical memoirs, I found the stories quite amazing and out of the ordinary.

[Asuka]

A quick read on some interesting medical cases. It doesn't go into too much depth but makes a good vacation read.

[Satid]

This book is a good one for readers who never read but are curious about strange and rare illnesses as it helps us appreciate the vastness of the landscape of our ailment. There are 23 medical cases here and many of them are rare ones. The writing style is not too technical as the authors are TV news journalists.

One thing from this book that just happens to strike me is that many patients say "Thank God...." for their cure. It's strange because their remedies are the fruits of the intellectual labor of love by a human enterprise call medical science and the patients should have said "Thank the doctor ....". Is this the explanation that many anti-science people behave the way they do - they live good lives because of scientific advancement in many fronts and yet they overlook this very fact and think that God(s) delivers all these! I know these people would say that god makes these medical scientists discover the remedies but is this a truly sensible and realistic reasoning? It's time the medical community promotes the correct mind set of the patients by encouraging the saying "Thank the doctor and his team".

Readers who want more of such books that cover more prevalent illnesses should read books by Doctor Lisa Sanders: Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis and Diagnosis: Solving the Most Baffling Medical Mysteries and these: The Deadly Dinner Party: and Other Medical Detective Stories and Deadly Outbreaks: How Medical Detectives Save Lives Threatened by Killer Pandemics, Exotic Viruses, and Drug-Resistant Parasites.

[Owen Hua]

"Medical Mysteries" by Ann Reynolds offered some interesting insights into some unfamiliar diseases. However, it falls short because it doesn't focus on one subject alone and switches topics. Compared to "The Tales of the Dueling Neurosurgeons", which took stories from different time periods and different place that taught scientists about the human brain, we see how "Medical Mysteries" can lack depth on some of the cases. The book often prioritzes the entertainment of the reader rather than the informational value. The book covers various lesser-known medical problems: an extreme case of warts, PSAS, trimethylaminuria, prosopagnosia, synesthesia, violent sleep-walking activity, jimsonweed poisoning, scurvy, an allergic reaction to an antibiotic, seizures triggered by a specific song, hyperthyroid periodic paralysis, "locked-in syndrome", "surfer's syndrome", being born with completely reversed organs, Alice in Wonderland syndrome, disembarkment syndrome, trichotillomania, superior canal dehiscence, and fatal familial insomnia. Most of these stories come from around the modern United States. The book is told in the first person, from the people that designed the original show on ABC, but it often includes quotes.

[Kelli Truszkowski]

I just finished reading Medical Mysteries by Ann Reynolds. This book explains medical mysteries that doctors had to figure out, find cures, and help the people with these medical issues.

Every chapter was a different true medical mystery and it gave examples of people who had these problems. My favorite chapter was chapter 19, "Sea Legs" this talked about a person that went on a boat and when they got off of the boat they continued to think the they were on a boat moving back and forth. This continued in there life until doctors found a cure.

I liked that the book had a lot of broad mysteries and gave many examples of people that had these. I disliked how the book was formatted in the same way which made it sort of repetitive. I would recommend this book to someone who likes to read about medical mysteries or are interested in having a future in the medical field.

[Desmond Wellington]

This book was bizarre as hell and i was on for the ride all the way. I typically mostly read fiction, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Funny enough I think this would make a great gift for christmas

[Rainer]

Was an interesting collection and a fast read.

[Ofixlia]

Mozna sie dowiedziec ciekawyxh rzeczy i "dziwnych", niespotykanych chorob oraz utozsamic sie z ich posiadaczami.

[Susana Duarte]

I found it fascinating!

[Kristin]

I'm a sucker for medical books, and this one seemed particularly interesting. It is composed of a bunch of case studies compiled by the ABC News team and presented on their various programs like 20/20, Primetime, etc. Therefore, the scientific discussion is broken down into layman's terms rather than being too detailed and complex for the casual reader, and many references are made to the correspondents for each story, who conducted the interviews and at times participated in research as an unaffected 'control' subject to get a better understanding for what the patients were experiencing.
I'd say I was about 50/50 familiar with the diseases and conditions presented in the book. In all likelihood, I probably watched a few of them when they aired on TV, but I don't remember specifics. I felt the descriptions and organization of each affliction were excellent, as at least 1 or 2 patients were interviewed for each one, and the doctors also, so readers could learn about both the symptoms and diagnostic testing first-hand from those involved.
There were 2 sorts of case studies in the book. The first, and the ones I found most interesting, involved patients who presented with symptoms that initially confounded doctors, and the doctors had to put all these symptoms along with the patient's medical and family history together to come up with a diagnosis. Often, the diagnosis is a rare condition, something thought to be eradicated with modern medicine, or an unlikely manifestation of a more common disease. The second sort was more of a discussion on people who have a diagnosis already, but doctors can't figure out the cause or a cure. There is less of a mystery with these, as the readers are told right away what the affliction is, and the problem is more of a 'what do we do about it'? I suppose I like the first sort better than the second because I know there is a treatment for those patients and they often get better or are able to manage their condition, whereas the people in the second sort are still left with a giant question mark.
All in all, an interesting read for sure, and one whose chapters are short and can be read individually if you're tight for time.

[Linsey Paggeot]

Medical Mysteries written by Ann Reynolds and Kenneth Wapner is a bizarre yet intriguing nonfiction book telling of twenty-nine strange medical conditions and the people living with them. From having a constant natural fishy smell to supersonic hearing, this book tells the peculiar ailments from people around the globe.

A man turning into a tree because of the insane amount of warts on his body, the ability to see sounds, pizza eating paralysis? This book explains the beginning symptoms, through diagnosis, to treatment options, to hopefully recovery within every story.

Emotions that range from pity and extreme sorrow, to wonder to happiness, play in your head throughout the telling of Medical Mysteries. Written in more of an article form this book may seem dull or boring to read which I find somewhat true but I believe that the content is more important than the way the information was relayed. I found this to be an okay book that was fun to read and learn from. Anyone curious about the mystery of the human body or looking for a good read will enjoy this book.

[Lisa Susan]

This was a very informative read. Having no access to the channel that airs Medical Mysteries, I have never seen this show, but after reading the book I wish I had the channel! I've never heard of most of the medical conditions in this book and I could not put it down. Fatal insomnia and Trichotillomania (the constant pulling out of hair from anywhere on the body)were just a couple conditions I was fascinated by since I'm in the medical field. This book is filled with things you never thought of happening to your body. Makes you step outside the box and think!

[Anne]

Undoubtedly there were fascinating stories found within this book, however, the overall voice struck me as somewhat disrespectful of the unfortunate individuals showcased. At times I felt genuinely sorry for the people who stepped up to help others, who may now be ridiculed for how they and/or their families were portrayed. A redeeming factor was how some incredible men and women, despite facing life threatening or life debilitating medical issues, still see the bright side of each moment.

[Diana]

Odd medical problems and diseases are chronicled, along with the people who live with them.

This was a fun, readable book. I love exploring odd medical things, and while I knew many of the diseases, others were new to me. There's an effort to humanize each chapter, focusing on the people and how the disease affects them.

[Sarah]

2.4 Stars. It started out ok but then it got kind of boring and they decided it was more important to make lame jokes about each illness. Nice. All in all, some of this book was actually interesting but in the end, not so great.

[Holly]

Some interesting mysteries, and I suppose they struck a balance between human interest and scientific basis of the health issues, but I wanted more of both. Quick read, would have abandoned it otherwise.

[Leslie Zampetti]

Entertaining, but nowhere near as well written as say, Oliver Sacks' books.

[Leslie]

Fascinating!

[Rachel]

This book is incredibly interesting!
It really makes me think about the struggles some people deal with just to get through an ordinary day.

[Anita]

Interesting book about various dreadful medical conditions, and personal stories of the people dealing with them ... not in-depth, making it a quick and easy read.

[Sarah]

An interesting, easy read. Not too scientific or too gross, but definitely fascinating. Written for the lay reader.

[Elizabeth Nesbit-comer]

some really interesting cases in this one definately worth the read :) I am a suker for medical mysteries

[Carrie]

Enjoy a good medical history text or medical cases text and this one is a nice easy read...interesting.

[Duzzlebrarian]

I’d describe this as Shock Schlock, really, but it’s an entertaining afternoon’s read anyway. If anything, it’s a testimony to JFGI.

[Fee]

Not a book for hypochondriacs, this book details some very bizarre medical mysteries. It makes you really wonder about how most of us take a normal and healthy life for granted.

[Krystyna Overmyer]

I really enjoyed this book. I've heard of some of the diseases like trichotillomania. The part about fatal familial insomnia was a bit scary. Another medical mystery book definitely needs to be made.

[Gail]

Intriguing. Especially all the people with strong marriages despite their medical challenges. I was impressed.

[Hillary]

I enjoyed this series of anecdotes about people with rare medical conditions. I would have enjoyed it more if there were more scientific detail.

[Melissa]

Loved it. Loved medical mysteries since read about them as a child in my fathers New Yorker magazine.

[Ch J Loveall]

Great overview learning-tool.