A fascinating and insightful book about the multitude of minor ailments that humans live with every day of the year, and what we can learn about them.

'Think about it: when was the last time you enjoyed a day of perfect health? A day when there was nothing - absolutely nothing - wrong with you?

I'm not talking about the kind of illness that forces you to take to your bed or make an appointment to see the doctor. I'm talking about the mild, irksome, distracting illnesses and aches and pains that we put up with constantly. The NHS helpfully issues a leaflet listing twenty-one official minor ailments, but from my experience it's woefully incomplete. So I've made my own list, and it has nearly 100 entries.'

Science writer Graham Lawton spent months recording all his minor ailments, and then investigating why we all suffer from these daily health niggles. The result is this readable book, covering 120 minor complaints from hiccups and hay fever to piles and chilblains.