Jane Austen, the much-loved author of Emma and Pride and Prejudice, was just 42 when she died after a mysterious illness. But what killed her? And what was the link between her death and the life of John F. Kennedy? The intriguing nature of Jane Austen's demise is just one of a series of sometimes famous and often bizarre stories featured in What Killed Jane Austen?

Why was Louis XVI embarrassed on his wedding night? Was Winston Churchill fit to rule? Why did Mary Tudor have phantom pregnancies and a deep voice? What did the autopsy reveal about Lenin's mental state? These and other mind-blowing medical stories are revealed in this fascinating romp through the medical notes of history.