Thernstrom traces conceptions of pain throughout the ages---from ancient Babylonian pain-banishing spells to modern brain imaging---to reveal the elusive, mysterious nature of pain itself. Thernstrom shows that when dealing with pain we are neither as advanced as we imagine nor as helpless as we may fear.

In The Pain Chronicles, Melanie Thernstrom traces conceptions of pain throughout the ages--from ancient Babylonian pain-banishing spells to modern brain imaging--to reveal the elusive, mysterious nature of pain itself. Interweaving first-person reflections on her own battle with chronic pain, incisive reportage from leading pain clinics and medical research, and insights from a wide range of disciplines, Thernstrom shows that when dealing with pain we are neither as advanced as we imagine nor as helpless as we may fear.