Healing threads Book

I read this book for research not fun, but I really enjoyed it. It's full of fascinating information about the history of healing and medicine in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and I was really surprised at how much more than old wives tales and herbal remedies. There were medical families, trained in continential universities, and a definite and distinct healing philosophy. So, I got the research info I wanted from this book, but also an unexpected insight into the history of intellectual thought and old clan structures, as well as the effect of politics and geography on health care. There is a lot of herbal lore here too, and I have to admit I gave up on the long list in the final 50 pages of different plants and their uses. But it's a well written, well researched and often surprising book. Not just for the herbalist!