An eminently readable, entertaining romp through the history of our vain and valiant efforts to heal ourselves. Mankind's battle to stay alive and healthy for as long as possible is our oldest, most universal struggle. With his characteristic wit and vastly informed historical scope, Roy Porter examines the war fought between disease and doctors on the battleground of the flesh from ancient times to the present. He explores the many ingenious ways in which we have attempted to overcome disease through the ages: the changing role of doctors, from ancient healers, apothecaries, and blood-letters to today's professionals; the array of drugs, from Ayurvedic remedies to the launch of Viagra; the advances in surgery, from amputations performed by barbers without anesthetic to today's sophisticated transplants; and the transformation of hospitals from Christian places of convalescence to modern medical powerhouses. Cleverly illustrated with historic line drawings, the chronic ailments of humanity provide vivid anecdotes for Porter's enlightening story of medicine's efforts to prevail over a formidable and ever-changing adversary.

羅伊•波特（Roy Porter，1946—2002），國際知名的英國學者，英國社會科學院院士，英國皇傢內科學院和英國皇傢精神科學院的名譽院士。2001年自倫敦大學學院惠康醫學史研究所退休，退休後不滿九個月就因心髒病發去世，學界同聲惋惜。

傾其一生投入研究、寫作與教學，在英國社會史、科學史、醫學史等領域都有精彩專著，撰寫與編輯的書超過百部，尤以醫學史領域的作品最為著名，其最具野心的作品當屬齣版於1997年的《人類醫學史》（The Greatest Benefit to Mankind）。

王道還，中國颱北市齣生，生物人類學者，譯作包括《第三種黑猩猩》、《盲眼鍾錶匠》等。