▼ Summary
– Robert Koch’s 1890 Tuberculin failed as a tuberculosis cure but later became a widely used diagnostic skin test.
– This story is featured in the new children’s book “Dead Ends! Flukes, Flops, and Failures that Sparked Medical Marvels” by Lindsey Fitzharris and Adrian Teal.
– Fitzharris is a science historian who previously wrote medical history books about Joseph Lister and Harold Gillies, and hosted a documentary on famous deaths.
– The couple collaborated on children’s books to combine Fitzharris’ science expertise with Teal’s illustration skills, despite challenges in the nonfiction children’s market.
– “Dead Ends” follows their 2023 book “Plague-Busters!” and focuses on failed medical treatments that unexpectedly led to breakthroughs.
Exploring the fascinating world of medical mishaps and unexpected discoveries, Dead Ends! Flukes, Flops, and Failures that Sparked Medical Marvels offers young readers a captivating journey through science’s most surprising twists. This illustrated children’s book, crafted by science historian Lindsey Fitzharris and cartoonist Adrian Teal, turns historical blunders into engaging learning moments.
One remarkable example involves German scientist Robert Koch. In 1890, he believed he had developed a cure for tuberculosis using a substance called Tuberculin. While it failed as a treatment, it later became widely adopted as a diagnostic skin test. This story of a “successful failure” is just one of many intriguing cases featured in the book.
Lindsey Fitzharris has built a reputation for making medical history accessible and compelling. Her earlier work includes The Butchering Art, a 2017 biography of surgical pioneer Joseph Lister, praised for its gripping, if sometimes graphic, storytelling. She followed this with The Facemaker in 2022, detailing the efforts of World War I surgeon Harold Gillies, who pioneered facial reconstruction for injured soldiers.
Fitzharris also brought her investigative skills to television, hosting the Smithsonian Channel documentary The Curious Life and Death Of… in 2020. The series examined famous deaths, from figures like Pablo Escobar to Harry Houdini, using virtual autopsies, blood experiments, witness interviews, and live demonstrations to uncover new perspectives.
Adrian Teal, her husband and collaborator, is an acclaimed caricaturist and illustrator. He gained recognition for his contributions to the British TV series Spitting Image, and his illustrations have appeared in prominent publications such as The Guardian and the Sunday Telegraph.
The couple joined forces to create children’s books that merge Fitzharris’s historical expertise with Teal’s artistic talent. Fitzharris acknowledges the challenges of the children’s nonfiction market, noting its generally low sales and the difficulty of securing publisher interest. She expressed concern over declining literacy rates and a genuine need for engaging educational materials that go beyond brief social media clips.
Their first collaboration, Plague-Busters! Medicine’s Battles with History’s Deadliest Diseases, released in 2023, delved into humanity’s encounters with devastating illnesses and the scientific advances that emerged in response. Dead Ends serves as a follow-up, focusing on misguided diagnoses, flawed experiments, and ineffective treatments that, despite their initial failures, ultimately paved the way for significant medical breakthroughs.
(Source: Ars Technica)