On what would have been Roald Dahl’s 100th birthday, the University of Liverpool’s Professor Tom Solomon has published a book about Dahl’s marvellous medical encounters, with all of the author royalties being donated to charity.
Most people know Roald Dahl as a famous writer of children’s books and adult short stories, but few are aware of his fascination with medicine. Nowadays, Professor Solomon is Director of the University’s Institute of Infection and Global Health, but in 1990 he was a junior doctor tasked with looking after Dahl towards the end of his life.
The new book, Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Medicine, examines Dahl’s interest in everything medical. Taking examples from Dahl’s life, and illustrated with excerpts from his writing, the book explores some extraordinary areas of medical science. At the same time the book is peppered with anecdotes from Dahl’s late night hospital discussions with Professor Solomon, which give new insights into this remarkable man’s thinking as his life came to an end.
Professor Solomon was inspired to write the book after discussing Dahl’s life and work for BBC Radio 4’s Great Lives programme alongside Dahl’s biographer, Donald Sturrock, in 2014. He said: “Roald Dahl’s was a great life, not just because of his fantastic literature, but because of the extraordinary way he had dealt with adversity, particularly all the medical challenges he and his family faced.”
Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Medicine is available to buy on Professor Solomon's website here: www.tomsolomon.co.uk.