This new volume in DK's Big Ideas Simply Explained series offers a very accessible overview of medicine. An introduction covers the discovery of major tenets of medical science such as the importance of observation. Chapters covering major historical periods follow. These look at medicine in various world cultures (Islamic, Ayurvedic, Chinese, and Western medicine) as well as the discovery of important concepts such as the circulation of blood and germ theory. They also cover the discovery of drugs in nature, the function of the immune system, epidemiology and public health, and the development of standards for medical and nursing practice. As always in DK books, color illustrations, text boxes, flowcharts, and diagrams supplement the text and highlight major points and biographies of important people. A directory section at the end of the book provides information about additional important people. A glossary defines terms and highlights the entries where they can be found. A detailed index helps readers locate information. This book, current enough to include information about COVID-19, is an excellent resource for both public libraries and home reference collections.