# Roald Dahl's Marvellous Medicine

Roald Dahl's Marvellous Medicine is a book by British professor of neurology Tom Solomon, published by Liverpool University Press in 2016. In it is detailed the extent to which medicine affected the life of British children's writer Roald Dahl, and reveals several connections between those experiences and what he wrote in his books.

## Publication and background

Roald Dahl's Marvellous Medicine, a combination of memoir and science, was published by Liverpool University Press in 2016.
British professor of neurology Tom Solomon was a newly qualified physician at the Nuffield Department of Medicine in the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, in 1990 when he was part of British haematologist David Weatherall's team that cared for the children's writer Roald Dahl, then terminally ill with leukaemia. Roald Dahl's Marvellous Medicine is based on Solomon's recollections of their conversations that mostly took place during his night shifts, and Dahl's writings. Solomon was inspired to write the book after collaborating with Dahl's official biographer, Donald Sturrock, on a radio show about Dahl's life for the BBC's Great Lives programme.

## Content

The book is divided into five parts: a towering giant, the great inventor, an enormous shadow, gobblefunking, and no book ever ends. These sections encompass 17 chapters and are followed by acknowledgments, a bibliography, notes, photo credits, an index, and a list of charities that benefit from its proceeds. Eight pages of photographs of Dahl are displayed in the centre pages.
Roald Dahl's Marvellous Medicine details the extent to which medicine affected Dahl's life, including his involvement in developing the Wade-Dahl-Till valve he helped create to treat the hydrocephalus his son Theo suffered after a severe head injury, the death of Olivia Dahl, stroke rehabilitation, and the Dahl's open letter of 1986 which he wrote in response to ongoing cases of measles in the United Kingdom at that time despite the introduction of an effective measles vaccine. The book also draws connections between these events and his children’s stories, including how the speech patterns of The BFG were possibly inspired by the language his first wife, Patricia Neal, used following her stroke.

## Reviews

A review of the book in the British Society of Literature and Science commended the book as an engaging and inspiring read that appeals to both scholars in medical humanities and general audiences. It noted that as the narrative develops, it becomes particularly moving, highlighting the vital connection between medicine and emotion. It stresses that storytelling, in all its forms, is crucial for diagnosis and fostering empathy. However, the review also criticises the "wandering" narrative style, indicating that the timeline may be confusing for those unfamiliar with Dahl's life. Additionally, the frequent use of scientific terminology can be challenging for lay readers, though Solomon does attempt to explain the terms.
The Lancet's review noted that although many people recognised Dahl's characters like oompa-loompas, they were generally unaware of his contributions to medicine, and Solomon's book filled that knowledge gap. A review in the Australasian Journal of Neuroscience noted the book to "include a balance of biography, memoir, and popular science. It shows a side of Roald Dahl that many of us are not aware of". It called Solomon's "wandering style" odd, though described it as an "incredible story". The Times Literary Supplement noted that the "book shows...how deeply medicine and illness permeated Dahl’s life".