The Knife Man: Blood, Body Snatching, and the Birth of Modern Surgery
 

The Knife Man: Blood, Body Snatching, and the Birth of Modern Surgery

by Wendy Moore

In an era when bloodletting was considered a cure for everything from colds to smallpox, surgeon John Hunter was a medical innovator, an eccentric, and the person to whom anyone who has ever had surgery probably owes his or her life. In this sensational and macabre story, we meet the surgeon who counted not only luminaries Benjamin Franklin, Lord Byron, Adam Smith, and Thomas Gainsborough among... (read more)

Top tags: biographybiography nonfictionhistorymedicinescience (all tags)

 

Member Reviews

  • Riann
    • Rated 0 stars

    A wonderful and engaging read on the birth of modern surgery. An excellent read of academic quality without the academia jargon.

    Riann wrote this review Saturday, April 19 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • B.S. Moore
    • Rated 5 stars

    This is the biography of one John Hunter, a famed (and notorious) surgeon/anatomist that revolutionized the medical field. A great companion to "The Greatest Benefit to Mankind" (Porter) and "A Medical Cabinet of Curiosities" (Bondeson).

    B.S. Moore wrote this review Saturday, January 12 2008. ( reply | permalink )
  • Katherine S
    • Rated 3 stars

    I work in medicine and that is mainly why I was drawn to this book. I had a hard time getting through it at times simply because I was looking for more human interest. She seemed to focus more on Hunter's keen interest in slicing and dicing animals to further his medical/surgical knowledge. If you're a vegan, I wouldn't recommend this read! If you like medicine and history, go for it!

    Katherine S wrote this review Thursday, November 1 2007. ( reply | permalink )
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