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. Right from his earliest days to the end of his life, Dahl was intrigued by what doctors do, and why they do it. During his lifetime, he and his family suffered some terrible medical tragedies: Dahl nearly died when his fighter plane went down in World War II, his son had severe brain injury in an accident and his daughter died from measles infection of the brain. But he also had some medical triumphs: he dragged himself back to health after the plane crash, despite terrible facial and back injuries; he was responsible for inventing a medical device (the Wade- Dahl-Till valve) to treat his son's hydrocephalus; and he taught his first wife, Patricia, to talk again after a devastating stroke, his passion and persistence leading ultimately to the formation of the Stroke Association.

Dahl always said that if he weren't a writer, he would have liked to have been a doctor. His fascination for medicine came through in much of his literature, from the detailed anatomical dissection of the brain in his macabre story ‘William and Mary’, to the explosive potions in George's MarvellousMedicine. Some of Dahl's own medical encounters featured in his writing. He loved nothing better than describing a gruesome operation, with no anaesthetic, performed on the nursery table. Sometimes the influences were more subtle – who would have thought ‘Gobblefunk’, the strange mixed-up language of the BFG, had its origins in a family illness?

In this unique combination of popular science, biography and memoir, Professor Tom Solomon, who looked after Dahl towards the end of his life, examines Dahl's life and literature from a new perspective. With examples from Dahl's writing as well as Solomon's own casebook, the volume uses Dahl's medical interactions as a starting point to explore some extraordinary areas of medical science, and shows how Dahl's inventive streak extended beyond his storytelling to help him lead some amazing medical advances. During their time together, the trust, honesty and understanding between the doctor and patient grew. Dahl's late-night hospital discussions with Solomon give new insights into this remarkable man's thinking as his life came to an end.