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)

Amazing History

This is both interesting and informative. A great listen about the science and development of surgery and germ theory.

Fascinating with plenty of detail

Be prepared to hear Lister’s life story in great and gruesome detail. This book is a testament to Lister and his incredible impact on modern medicine, and it also reflects the hard work and examples set by his Quaker parents and upbringing.

Think how many lives could have been saved if only his procedures were implemented earlier . . .

Great if you love medical history

Absolutely fascinating!! I wasn't sure exactly what I was getting into (i was on a true crime kick and it came up) but I couldn't put it down.

Toils,tales troubles and triumph.

this is a biographical review on the life of Lord Lister who transformed surgery through his perseverance and insight. the things we take for granted and find so commonplace today are nicely put in perspective.

Phenomenal!

Both the writing and narration were superb. I've recommended thus audiobook to everyone I know know. Ralph Lister's enthusiasm is absolutely engrossing, and his accents added depth to the figures in the story. Highly recommended.

Medical advancement of preventing germs.

The joy that I got learning about how Dr. Joseph Lister was beyond what I had expected to get out of listening to this book. I hope that others will find it as informative as I have.

Fascinating history of the dawn on modern surgery

Well paced, audio book narrator was perfect choice. Never bogs down. Well worth a listen.

Loved it!

I heard the author doing an interview on The Joe Rogan podcast. I downloaded and listen to it starting that day. I really enjoyed it.

Awesome and scary

glad I didn’t live in Victorian times!
Would have preferred a female performance as the author is female (and is a great presenter based on podcast interviews) but overall it’s excellent.

Interesting medical history

Very enlightening. How far the field of medicine has evolved in the past 150 years. It's astonishing that people survived any medical procedures done before Dr. Lister's implementation of sterile operating.