Description
Book Synopsis: Winner, 2018 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing Short-listed for the 2018 Wellcome Book Prize
A Top 10 Science Book of Fall 2017, Publishers Weekly
A Best History Book of 2017, The Guardian
“Warning: She spares no detail!” —Erik Larson, bestselling author of Dead Wake
In The Butchering Art, the historian Lindsey Fitzharris reveals the shocking world of nineteenth-century surgery and shows how it was transformed by advances made in germ theory and antiseptics between 1860 and 1875. She conjures up early operating theaters—no place for the squeamish—and surgeons, who, working before anesthesia, were lauded for their speed and brute strength. These pioneers knew that the aftermath of surgery was often more dangerous than patients’ afflictions, and they were baffled by the persistent infections that kept mortality rates stubbornly high. At a time when surgery couldn’t have been more hazardous, an unlikely figure stepped forward: a young, melancholy Quaker surgeon named Joseph Lister, who would solve the riddle and change the course of history.
Fitzharris dramatically reconstructs Lister’s career path to his audacious claim that germs were the source of all infection and could be countered by a sterilizing agent applied to wounds. She introduces us to Lister’s contemporaries—some of them brilliant, some outright criminal—and leads us through the grimy schools and squalid hospitals where they learned their art, the dead houses where they studied, and the cemeteries they ransacked for cadavers.
Eerie and illuminating, The Butchering Art celebrates the triumph of a visionary surgeon whose quest to unite science and medicine delivered us into the modern world.
Details
Discover the grim and shocking world of nineteenth-century surgery in "The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine." Explore the fascinating journey that revolutionized the field of medicine and surgery between 1860 and 1875. This award-winning book, winner of the 2018 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing, takes you on a captivating ride through early operating theaters and introduces you to the extraordinary surgeons who defied the odds in an era without anesthesia.
Experience the bravery and determination of pioneers who recognized that surgery wasn't just about speed and brute strength. They understood the dangerous aftermath of surgeries and searched for solutions to the persistent infections that claimed countless lives. Enter Joseph Lister, a young Quaker surgeon, whose audacious belief in germs as the source of infection would forever change the course of history.
In "The Butchering Art," acclaimed historian Lindsey Fitzharris masterfully guides us through the past, shedding light on Lister's relentless pursuit to prove his theory and his ground-breaking discovery of a sterilizing agent that could counteract the deadly germs. You'll be captivated by the stories of Lister's contemporaries, from brilliant minds to outright criminals, as they navigate the grimy schools, squalid hospitals, and harrowing experiences that shaped their careers. Fitzharris paints a vivid picture of the struggles and breakthroughs that ultimately led to the birth of modern medicine.
Eerie and illuminating, "The Butchering Art" is a must-read for those intrigued by the intersection of science, history, and medicine. Join the journey and celebrate the triumph of Joseph Lister, a visionary surgeon who fearlessly united science and medicine, forever transforming our world. Don't miss out on this extraordinary tale. Get your copy now and be captivated by the captivating history of surgery!
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