The Butchering Art

Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine

De: Lindsey Fitzharris

Narrado por: Ralph Lister

The gripping story of how Joseph Lister's antiseptic method changed medicine forever

In The Butchering Art, the historian Lindsey Fitzharris reveals the shocking world of 19th-century surgery on the eve of profound transformation. She conjures up early operating theaters - no place for the squeamish - and surgeons, working before anesthesia, who were lauded for their speed and brute strength. These medical pioneers knew that the aftermath of surgery was often more dangerous than their 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 deadly riddle and change the course of history.

Fitzharris dramatically recounts Lister's discoveries in gripping detail, culminating in his audacious claim that germs were the source of all infection - and could be countered by antiseptics. Focusing on the tumultuous period from 1850 to 1875, she introduces us to Lister and his contemporaries - some of them brilliant, some outright criminal - and takes us through the grimy medical schools and dreary hospitals where they learned their art, the deadhouses where they studied anatomy, and the graveyards they occasionally 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.

©2017 Lindsey Fitzharris (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Warning: She spares no detail!" (Erik Larson, best-selling author of Dead Wake)

"Fascinating and shocking." ( Kirkus Reviews)

A top-10 science book of fall 2017 ( Publishers Weekly)

Not one boring moment!

If you were unlucky enough to have surgery in an English hospital in the mid 19th century, you often left as a corpse. This book shows the horrible conditions and follows the struggles of Dr. Joseph Lister who ushered in a new era in medicine and in the process saved countless lives. Both author and narrator do a great job of immersing the reader in the Victorian era. There is not one boring moment in this book.

Be prepared for the gore!

Lots of blood, pus, and other disturbing imagery, but, these are also historical fact. Just be prepared for the descriptions. Joseph Lister was an incredible person, a caring doctor and a brilliant scientist.

Disgustingly great and greatly disgusting.

The first half is depressing. The second half is depressing and uplifting. Highly recommend. People are depressing.

Worth a credit

I could hardly stop listening. I rarely read nonfiction, but this book was facinating. The subject was presented in an easy to understand way. The narration was paced so to give more interest to the presentation.But there is one drawback, that is the material could be gruesome, but it was necessary to the account.

Joseph Lister was a truly great man

The story of Joseph Lister is inspiring. I'm so grateful for the persistence of this man to transform surgery. The book itself is fascinating in its details and even its descriptions of gore. Narration is outstanding, too.

Grisly, yes, but fascinating

This is a great book -- if you have interest in scientific/medical history, you'll love it. Yes, it's grisly, and at times even my strong stomach churned a bit, but it really conveys the atmosphere of the times. It's so interesting to learn the ways in which science crept forward over the years. Highly recommended!

Required Reading

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Do not ever forget, my friend, that we are only a few generations removed from the era where germs were a fantastical notion, and death from putrefaction and gangrene awaited anyone with the simplest breach in the skin.

Good, but a little dry

I liked the story but it started to drag in the middle and then it seemed to end suddenly. overall worth a read.

Excellent!

Perfect for any scientist or curious clinician. One of the very best audio books ever. I loved the reader too for some reason it’s not letting me give it full stars but I tried.

Not for the faint of heart

If you are somewhat conversant with biology and medical science and have an interest in the evolution of surgery from a last resort to a means of helping people lead better lives, this is for you.