Helen Bynum is a historian of science and medicine and also has a particular interest in gardening and plants and their importance in human culture and society. Together with her husband William Bynum she has written or edited numerous books, including Remarkable Plants that Shape Our World and Botanical Sketchbooks, both published by Thames & Hudson.

1. Discovering the Body
Egyptian Medicine; Chinese Medicine; Indian Medicine; Humours & Pneumas; Islamic Medicine, Dissecting the Body; Pathological Anatomy; Cell Theory; Neuron Theory; Molecules

2. Understanding Health & Disease
Circulation; Bedlam & Beyond; The Milieu Intérieur; Germs; Parasites & Vectors; Psychoanalysis & Psychotherapy; Hormones; Immunology; The Genetic Revolution; The Evolution of Cancer; Complementary Medicine

3. Tools of the Trade
The Stethoscope; The Microscope; The Hypodermic Syringe; The Thermometer; X-Rays & Radiotherapy; The Sphygmomanometer; Defibrillators; Lasers; The Endoscope; Imaging the Body; The Incubator; Medical Robots

4. Battling the Scourges
Plague; Typhus; Cholera; Puerperal Fever; Tuberculosis; Influenza A; Smallpox; Polio; HIV

5. 'A Pill for Every Ill'
Opium; Quinine; Digitalis; Penicillin; The Pill; Drugs & the Mind; Ventolin; Beta Blockers; Statins

6. Surgical Breakthroughs
Paré & Wounds; Anaesthesia; Antisepsis & Asepsis; Blood Transfusion; Neurosurgery; Cataract Surgery; Caesarean Section; Cardiac Surgery; Transplant Surgery; Hip Replacement; Keyhole Surgery

7. Medical Triumphs
Vaccines; Vitamins; Insulin; Dialysis; Smoking & Health; Assisted Reproduction; The Pap Smear & Human Papilloma Virus; Helicobacter pylori & Peptic Ulcer