The Doctors' Plague: Germs, Childbed Fever, and the Strange Story of Ignac Semmelweis (Great Discoveries)

Name: The Doctors' Plague: Germs, Childbed Fever, and the Strange Story of Ignac Semmelweis (Great Discoveries)
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4.3 of 5 Stars: History - The Doctors' Plague: Germs, Childbed Fever, and the Strange Story of Ignac Semmelweis (Great Discoveries)

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Book Synopsis: A great medical detective story, by the author of the best-selling How We Die. Surgeon, scholar, best-selling author, Sherwin B. Nuland is one of our finest chroniclers of the history of medicine. Obsessed for twenty-five years with Ignac Semmelweis's strange story, Nuland tells it with the urgency and insight gained from his own studies and clinical experience. Ignac Semmelweis is remembered for the now-commonplace notion that doctors must wash their hands before examining patients. In mid-nineteenth-century Vienna, however, this was a subversive idea. With deaths from childbed fever exploding, Semmelweis discovered that doctors themselves were spreading the disease. While his simple reforms worked immediately, they also threatened the medical establishment and so undid the passionate but self-destructive Semmelweis that he failed to overturn the status quo, leaving it to later medical giants Pasteur, Lister, and Kochto establish conclusively the germ theory of disease. The Doctors' Plague is a riveting, revealing narrative of one of the key turning points in medical history.

About the series: W. W. Norton and Atlas Books announce the launch of an exciting new series — Great Discoveries — bringing together renowned writers from diverse backgrounds to tell the stories of crucial scientific breakthroughs — the great discoveries that have gone on to transform our view of the world.

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Discover the captivating true story of Ignac Semmelweis and his fight against a deadly disease in "The Doctors' Plague: Germs, Childbed Fever, and the Strange Story of Ignac Semmelweis" by Sherwin B. Nuland. As a respected surgeon and scholar, Nuland brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to this thrilling medical detective story.

Uncover the groundbreaking research of Ignac Semmelweis, whose revolutionary idea of handwashing transformed the medical field forever. In an era when such a simple notion was considered subversive, Semmelweis's discovery that doctors were unwittingly spreading childbed fever was met with resistance from the medical establishment.

Witness the urgency and insight delivered by Nuland as he delves deep into the history of medicine in order to shed light on Semmelweis's persistent struggle. With his own studies and clinical experience, Nuland paints a vivid picture of a passionate but self-destructive individual who fought for a change that would ultimately save countless lives.

Be transported to mid-nineteenth-century Vienna, a time when deaths from childbed fever were rampant, and follow Semmelweis's journey to establish handwashing as a necessary practice for doctors. Experience the tension and intrigue as Semmelweis's reforms clash against the staunch resistance of the medical establishment.

Don't miss out on this riveting and eye-opening narrative that examines one of the key turning points in medical history. "The Doctors' Plague" is part of the Great Discoveries series by W. W. Norton and Atlas Books, which showcases renowned writers from diverse backgrounds who share the stories behind crucial scientific breakthroughs.

Get your copy of "The Doctors' Plague: Germs, Childbed Fever, and the Strange Story of Ignac Semmelweis" now and embark on a journey that will forever change your perception of medicine. Click here to order your copy today!

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