"Many years ago in Europe, people believed that an evil spirit was sweeping across the land. It killed people by the thousands. The deaths were agonizing and gruesome. Before long, the only sounds in the streets were the tolling of the funeral bells and the wheels of carts carrying away the dead. Centuries later, several children in a small village in Peru became so frantic that they had to be tied to their beds. Some screamed in terror, while others foamed at the mouth. All of them had one thing in common: They had been bitten by vampire bats. After a woman lost her ability to speak, tests revealed a dark spot in her brain. The good news? The spot was not a tumor. The bad news? The spot was a tapeworm, living in her brain. These and other true stories of medical mysteries and terrors await you inside Scary Medical Stories"--Back cover.

Introduction -- The sinister Evil of the Black Death -- Smallpox: Terrible Instrument of Death -- Deadly Summer in Philadelphia -- Fear and Paralysis: The Story of Polio -- The Modern Epidemic: AIDS -- The Fury of Rabies -- Mysteries Solved: Hidden Poisons at Home -- Creepy Invaders -- The Invisible Killer.