Review of Casanova's uide to Medicine: 18th century Medical Practice

[Elenimo Chembe]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Casanova's uide to Medicine: 18th century Medical Practice" by Dr Lisetta lovett.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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What medical knowledge would you learn from a 17th-century man popularly known for being a libertine and a womaniser? Apparently, there is so much more - and that is what Dr Lisetta Lovett attempts to do in her book, Casanova’s Guide to Medicine: 18th century Medical Practice. The author started writing the book while in Malawi, after reading Casanova’s memoirs. She was later convinced that the memoirs contained so much medical material and that hitherto, nobody had attempted to explore the material.  

Dr. Lovett starts the book by putting the life of Giacomo Casanova in a proper historical perspective. She also attempts to do away with the stereotypes that have been historically associated with Casanova and present him as a scholar and a writer. Dr. Lovett then goes on to delineate the writings of Casanova pertaining to issues dealing with sickness and medicine. In the early chapters, the author deals largely with the issues concerning sexual medicine and obstetrics. In the subsequent chapters, more light is shed on issues of homosexuality, paedophilia and masturbation. The range of topics dealt with in the book is very broad and multifaceted. Topics touched upon include stroke, epilepsy, fever, smallpox and virginity, just to mention a few. The reader is also given information on how these diseases were treated and Casanova’s favoured treatments. There are also insights into how doctor-patient relationships were conducted.

After reading the book, I would say that the book is well written and contains no errors. The first thing that wowed me about the book is that it gave me a new and more positive perspective of Giacomo Casanova. I could have never known that Casanova was a scholar and a writer, thus, I found the book very educative. The book is also educative in the sense that I learnt so much about diseases and medicines. I also learnt some interesting historical facts about the 17th-century. I also like the fact that the author provided a detailed and comprehensive analysis of Casanova’s medical knowledge. Suffice it to say, the book touched on almost every human aspect of life in relation to sickness and medicine. The author is also an excellent writer. Her writing style was direct, simple and easy to comprehend.

I didn’t find anything negative about the book except the fact that some readers may find the book to contain much information and fail to keep up. Thus, jotting down short notes can be helpful to avoid getting lost. Regardless, I will rate the book 4 out of 4 stars.

I would recommend the book primarily to those teaching or studying medicine. This book would help them understand how the medical field developed and advanced to the present stage. Those who love history books would also find this book enjoyable. I also think that those who love educative non-fiction books would also enjoy reading this book. All in all, I enjoyed the book and it is a great read. 

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Casanova's uide to Medicine: 18th century Medical Practice
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[Wildflowertheorist]

It's nice to know that Casanova shed light on a wide range of medicinal topics. I would not be reading it but your review is makes me want to sample a few pages of it.

[Waliyat_24]

This is not the type of book I’ll read, but your review got me interested. Great review!

[Lawrence+2]

Not my kind of book though, but the review is quite captivating. Kudos

[Chiwendu Ikechukwu]

from this review, i believe this is a powerful book. will be adding it to my chelf for letter reading.