The Deadly Dinner Party

I'm not generally a risk taker, but when it comes to food, I engage in some pretty risky eating behaviors. I eat food that has passed its expiration date. I'm not diligent about cooking meat to the correct temperatures. I like my tuna really really rare. I eat cookie/cake/brownie batter with raw eggs. I don't wash fruits and vegetables before eating them. Shocking, I know. But I like to live on the edge. Although after reading The Deadly Dinner Party and Other Medical Detective Stories by Jonathan A. Edlow, I'm kind of afraid to eat anything.

This book is a compilation of puzzling medical cases. In many of these cases, the source of the illness came from food. From fish, to apple cider, to garlic, food has been the culprit of some pretty serious illnesses. Although some of the stories freaked me out, I still enjoyed this book. It reminded me of House, which is one of my favorite television shows. Although House is a doctor, he often has to think like a detective, examining seemingly insignificant details to diagnose the patient. The doctors involved with these cases also had to play detective to diagnose their patients and determine the origins of the illness. The methods of diagnosis are fascinating. The author also traces the history of each disease, describing how it was first discovered, and other famous cases, which is surprisingly interesting.

I learned several interesting pieces of trivia from this book, which I will begin featuring tomorrow in "Cool Stuff I Learned in Books." Stay tuned.