Mustn't Grumble cover art

Mustn't Grumble

The surprising science of everyday ailments and why we’re always a bit ill

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Mustn't Grumble

By: Graham Lawton
Narrated by: David Morley Hale
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £14.35

Buy Now for £14.35

Summary

 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 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 for the reader.

(P)2021 Headline Publishing Group Ltd©2021 Graham Lawton Alternative & Complementary Medicine Naturopathy & Holistic Medicine Pain Management Physical Illness & Disease
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c

Critic reviews

Graham Lawton has created an unexpected literary genre: the compulsively readable medical reference book. You start with the things that currently plague you, and then you keep on reading, happily passing entire afternoons absorbed in the odd and revolting things our bodies serve up. Fool's blackheads! Head eggs! Meibum! If laughter is the best medicine, a dose of Lawton ought to cure most of this stuff. (Mary Roach)
It would be easy to pick an important science book on climate change or the pandemic, but we're miserable enough already, aren't we? My favourite escape from the news cycle this year was Mustn't Grumble by Graham Lawton (Headline Home). It has a simple but ingenious premise: we're all a bit ill most of the time, so what exactly is going on with our bodies? Lawton covers the science behind 100 mild ailments, such as sore throats, dead legs, dark circles under the eyes and a cricked neck. It's not important, but it is witty, compelling and deeply informed: the perfect guilty pleasure. [Best Books of the Year 2021] (Michael Brooks)
Science writer Graham Lawton spent months recording all his minor ailments, and then investigating why we all suffer from these daily health niggles. The result is this readable book, covering 120 minor complaints from hiccups and hay fever to piles and chilblains.
All stars
Most relevant
I saw this recommended in New Scientist as one of their books of the year for 2021. It’s full of fascinating stuff but I spotted quite a few mistakes (and I’m by no means an expert so there’s probably more in there I’m not qualified enough to spot!).
Found the delivery a bit too chummy at times - too much ‘my wife says… so it must be true!’ kind of anecdotes and I guess I was expecting a more serious treatment. Still, it was okay so I mustn’t grumble

Some interesting stuff but lots of little mistakes

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
well thought out and each chapter is a short story in its own right

things we can all identify with

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.