Description
Book Synopsis: Winner, 2018 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science WritingShort-listed for the 2018 Wellcome Book PrizeA Top 10 Science Book of Fall 2017, Publishers WeeklyA 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 shocking world of nineteenth-century surgery in The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine. This captivating book by historian Lindsey Fitzharris takes you on a thrilling journey through the advancements in germ theory and antiseptics that revolutionized surgery between 1860 and 1875. Experience the early operating theaters and witness the awe-inspiring speed and brute strength of surgeons, working without anesthesia. But amidst the danger and infections, a young Quaker surgeon named Joseph Lister stepped forward to change the course of history. Be prepared to be captivated by Fitzharris' vivid storytelling and learn how Lister's audacious claim about germs and sterilization transformed medicine as we know it.
Join Lindsey Fitzharris as she dramatically reconstructs Joseph Lister's career path in The Butchering Art, winner of the 2018 PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing. Dive into the world of Lister's contemporaries, from brilliant minds to outright criminals, and explore the schools, hospitals, and graveyards where they honed their surgical skills. The Butchering Art will both eerily fascinate and enlighten you, showcasing the triumph of Lister's visionary quest to unite science and medicine. Get ready to be transported back in time and witness the birth of modern surgery.
Don't miss out on this best-selling history book of 2017, selected as one of the Top 10 Science Books of Fall 2017 by Publishers Weekly and shortlisted for the 2018 Wellcome Book Prize. Erik Larson, bestselling author of Dead Wake, warns that Lindsey Fitzharris spares no detail in this mesmerizing account. Get your hands on The Butchering Art today and immerse yourself in the thrilling and transformative world of Victorian medicine.
Are you ready to delve into the shocking world of nineteenth-century surgery? Uncover the triumph of Joseph Lister's revolutionary discoveries by grabbing your copy of The Butchering Art now! Experience the thrill and enlightenment that awaits within its pages.
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