The Sick Rose: Or; Disease and the Art of Medical Illustration

A beautifully gruesome and strangely enthralling visual tour through disease in an age before colour photography

This stunning volume, combining detailed illustrations of afflicted patients from some of the world's rarest medical books, forms an unforgettable and profoundly human reminder of mankind's struggle with disease.

Incorporating historic maps, pioneering charts and contemporary case notes, Richard Barnett's evocative overview reveals the fears and obsessions of an era gripped by epidemics.

'It’s a transfixing, sublime collection of portraits of the highest art' - The Times

'Astonishing images of the dissected and diseased … superbly erudite and lucid accompanying text … Here we see unpacked the mortal elements of many anonymous individuals - and by extension our own' - Will Self, The Guardian

'Appalling, if brilliantly rendered …. A fascinating book, albeit only for those with strong stomachs' - Nature

'A fascinating, gruesome look at how the medical profession depicted afflictions before colour photography' - The Big Issue