Kill or Cure

An Illustrated History of Medicine

Kill or Cure, a lavishly illustrated new history from DK, recounts the quest of doctors and scientists through the ages to tame and conquer mankind's ever-enduring enemies: disease, injury, and death. Sometimes misguided, sometimes inspired, always doggedly determined, the great scientific minds of every generation have battled the unknown within our bodies, developing potions, drugs, and therapies in a quest to heal and cure.

Beginning with early healers, chance discoveries, technological advancement, and "wonder" drugs, and using panels, timelines, and thematic spreads, Kill or Cure highlights information about human anatomy, surgical instruments, and medical breakthroughs while telling the dramatic tale of medical progress. Diaries, notebooks, and other first-person accounts tell the fascinating stories from the perspective of people who witnessed medical history firsthand. Packed with photographs, diagrams, and visual explanations, Kill or Cure tells the extraordinary tale of medicine through the ages.
Steve Parker is a writer, editor, and consultant specializing in general science and life sciences and a Senior Scientific Fellow of the Zoological Society of London. Steve has written more than 250 books, including The Human Body, Eyewitness Medicine, Eyewitness Human Body, and Medicine. He has been shortlisted for prizes ranging from BBC Blue Peter Book of the Year to Times Educational Supplement Information Book of the Year and the Rhône-Poulenc Prize, and won the 2014 BMA Board of Science Award for the Public Understanding of Science. View titles by Steve Parker

About

Kill or Cure, a lavishly illustrated new history from DK, recounts the quest of doctors and scientists through the ages to tame and conquer mankind's ever-enduring enemies: disease, injury, and death. Sometimes misguided, sometimes inspired, always doggedly determined, the great scientific minds of every generation have battled the unknown within our bodies, developing potions, drugs, and therapies in a quest to heal and cure.

Beginning with early healers, chance discoveries, technological advancement, and "wonder" drugs, and using panels, timelines, and thematic spreads, Kill or Cure highlights information about human anatomy, surgical instruments, and medical breakthroughs while telling the dramatic tale of medical progress. Diaries, notebooks, and other first-person accounts tell the fascinating stories from the perspective of people who witnessed medical history firsthand. Packed with photographs, diagrams, and visual explanations, Kill or Cure tells the extraordinary tale of medicine through the ages.

Author

Steve Parker is a writer, editor, and consultant specializing in general science and life sciences and a Senior Scientific Fellow of the Zoological Society of London. Steve has written more than 250 books, including The Human Body, Eyewitness Medicine, Eyewitness Human Body, and Medicine. He has been shortlisted for prizes ranging from BBC Blue Peter Book of the Year to Times Educational Supplement Information Book of the Year and the Rhône-Poulenc Prize, and won the 2014 BMA Board of Science Award for the Public Understanding of Science. View titles by Steve Parker

Three Penguin Random House Authors Win Pulitzer Prizes

On Monday, May 5, three Penguin Random House authors were honored with a Pulitzer Prize. Established in 1917, the Pulitzer Prizes are the most prestigious awards in American letters. To date, PRH has 143 Pulitzer Prize winners, including William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Josh Steinbeck, Ron Chernow, Anne Applebaum, Colson Whitehead, and many more. Take a look at our 2025 Pulitzer Prize

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month

In June we celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual + (LGBTQIA+) Pride Month, which honors the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. Pride Month is a time to both celebrate the accomplishments of those in the LGBTQ+ community and recognize the ongoing struggles faced by many across the world who wish to live

Read more