The author, a pathologist by profession, covers in detail the origins and development of pain relief techniques and drugs from the earliest recorded times and in many cultures, to the present day, relating the medical advances to the social, political or religious milieu of their time.  The book is well- and entertainingly-written in a style accessible to the general reader, as well as having plenty of in-depth detail to attract the specialists.  My only disappointment is with the illustrations, which are too few, and not all immediately relevant.

560pp; b/w illus; exhaustive bibliography; index