The Heart Healers

The Misfits, Mavericks, and Rebels Who Created the Greatest Medical Breakthrough of Our Lives

By: James Forrester MD

Narrated by: Jonathan Yen

At one time heart disease was a death sentence. By the middle of the 20th century, it was killing millions, and, as with the Black Death centuries before, physicians stood helpless. Visionaries, though, had begun to make strides earlier. On September 7, 1895, Ludwig Rehn successfully sutured the heart of a living man with a knife wound to the chest for the first time. In 1929 Dr. Werner Forssman inserted a cardiac catheter in his own arm and forced the X-ray technician on duty to take a photo as he successfully threaded it down the vein into his own heart...and lived. And on June 6, 1944 - D-Day - another momentous event occurred far from the Normandy beaches: Dr. Dwight Harken sutured the shrapnel-injured heart of a young soldier and saved his life, and thus the term "cardiac surgeon" was born.

In The Heart Healers, James Forrester, MD, tells the story of these rebels and the risks they took with their own lives and the lives of others to heal the most elemental of human organs: the heart. The result is a compelling chronicle of a disease and its cure, a disease that is still with us but one that is slowly being worn away by the "heart healers".

©2015 James Forrester (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"It's a book of marvels." ( Publishers Weekly)

Illuminating Book

The history of cardiology can be a bit dry and technical at times, but it is amazing what has been accomplished. There are valuable take-home messages in this book for almost every reader.

Good history of cardiology care

Good history of how heart disease has been researched and managed over the years. The last chapter was an over the top ego recap of the successes of cardiology, but hopefully we can all look back and feel we have made one of the world's most outstanding contributions to human health and welbeing.

Fantastic

If you could sum up The Heart Healers in three words, what would they be?

So informative!

What other book might you compare The Heart Healers to and why?

None

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Some ah hah moments

Any additional comments?

I learned so much from this book. The final chapters were packed with useful information. I plan to read it again.

Current cardiology fellow

This is the best book on the history of cardiology and cardiac surgery that I have ever read. It’s not a typical dry history book but tells the story of how cardiology has evolved through the decades in a gripping way. You will find yourself at the edge of your seat.

Dr. Forester has written it so that it’s enjoyable irrespective of whether you’re a layperson or a physician.

Reminded me of why I chose this amazing specialty!

Great review of the landmark achievements in Cardiology.

This was a great book. The author did a great job presenting his life and the modern development of cardiology. As a nurse practitioner I found all this information very interesting and came away with a much better understanding of why we do what we do in modern medicine.

The performance was great and I wish Jonathan Yen would do more recording.