It has long been known that in difficult moments of life people are drawn to the book - to distract themselves from painful thoughts or get reasonable advice. British "bibliotherapists" E. Berthoud and S. Elderkin went even further, suggesting that reading can heal not only the soul, but also the body. They made up a kind of "literary medicine book," from which the reader learns which books are best read for certain diseases. In this reference book of literary remedies - balms from Balzac, hemostatic tourniquets from Tolstoy, ointments from Saramago, laxatives from Perek and Proust and much more. In addition, "Book as Medicine" is an excellent review of the masterpieces of world literature.