Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery
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Review
'Blood and Guts is an excellent history of surgery... a highly readable book, full of gripping anedcotes'
--Irish Mail on Sunday
--Irish Mail on Sunday
Book Description
A colourful narrative history on the macabre world of surgery
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I saw some of the TV series on which this book is based and found it utterly fascinating so I just had to buy the book to find out the bits I missed on TV. The title makes it sound very gruesome and whilst some of the techniques covered live up to this title the way it is written makes it very enjoyable and entertaining to read without making you feel in the least bit queazy. It really highlights the way the surgical techniques we have today have been founded on the ideas of pioneers who came up with inventions ranging from the astounding to the downright bizarre and morally questionable. Throughout the book I was constantly asking myself "how on earth did they come up with that?!" These really are people who were prepared to try absolutely anything in the pursuit of medical advancement. There are also some excellent pictures and photos which illustrate the techniques discussed. This is really the most interesting book I have ever read and I'd recommend it to anyone.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Blood and Guts is a pithy and readable history of surgery that does not hold back on the successes and the botches.
One of the most amusing anecdotes became known as the "night of the pigs" and takes place in the National Heart Hospital in London in 1969.
Surgeon Donald Longmore waits for a delivery of pigs. He plans to graft a pig's heart and lungs into a patient to keep him alive. One pig has other ideas and makes its escape onto Wimpole Street, pursued by gowned, capped, masked and booted theatre staff.
The pig, now secured by the expert team, is taken to the mortuary to be put to sleep, but the anaesthetist assigned to the task is Jewish. Another anaesthetist is found, but there is another problem: the patient is also Jewish and unconscious so unable to take any decisions for himself. Mr. Longmore calls a rabbi who in fits of laughter gives the go ahead for a genuine attempt to save the patient's life. Unfortunately, the operation fails in its final stages owing to an unforeseen reaction of pig heart to an injection of calcium.
Medical mavericks seem to have been responsible for much surgical progress, so it's surprising to read how often innovations we now take for granted were at first rejected by established leaders and institutions. Plus ca change!
One of the most amusing anecdotes became known as the "night of the pigs" and takes place in the National Heart Hospital in London in 1969.
Surgeon Donald Longmore waits for a delivery of pigs. He plans to graft a pig's heart and lungs into a patient to keep him alive. One pig has other ideas and makes its escape onto Wimpole Street, pursued by gowned, capped, masked and booted theatre staff.
The pig, now secured by the expert team, is taken to the mortuary to be put to sleep, but the anaesthetist assigned to the task is Jewish. Another anaesthetist is found, but there is another problem: the patient is also Jewish and unconscious so unable to take any decisions for himself. Mr. Longmore calls a rabbi who in fits of laughter gives the go ahead for a genuine attempt to save the patient's life. Unfortunately, the operation fails in its final stages owing to an unforeseen reaction of pig heart to an injection of calcium.
Medical mavericks seem to have been responsible for much surgical progress, so it's surprising to read how often innovations we now take for granted were at first rejected by established leaders and institutions. Plus ca change!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
For a book that considers the huge progress made in surgery over the last 100 years or so, it reads well in an entertaining fashion. A tie-in with the TV series and one which is well worth buying if that series whetted your appetite.
The fact that it is so well written should not detract from the horrors that went before; the succeses often outweighed by the failures and at what cost to individual lives? But, to coin a phrase, there is no gain without pain and both the book and the series manage to convey that despite this - or probably because of this - we are where we are now in terms of the skill we've achieved. So many lives now saved - or certainly improved - that the pioneers of yesteryear unintentionally deserve the title of the book.
If you haven't seen the series buy the book, if you have seen it, buy it anyway because there are sections not shown which only add to the overall thrust of this highly entertaining and informative medical journey.
The fact that it is so well written should not detract from the horrors that went before; the succeses often outweighed by the failures and at what cost to individual lives? But, to coin a phrase, there is no gain without pain and both the book and the series manage to convey that despite this - or probably because of this - we are where we are now in terms of the skill we've achieved. So many lives now saved - or certainly improved - that the pioneers of yesteryear unintentionally deserve the title of the book.
If you haven't seen the series buy the book, if you have seen it, buy it anyway because there are sections not shown which only add to the overall thrust of this highly entertaining and informative medical journey.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent
Good book on a serious and important history, well written in an enjoyable style-if nothing else a jolly good read
Published 23 days ago by John H. Williams
Outstanding
This is a book written as a partner to a BBC television series. It is a riveting read from the forward to the last page. Read more
Published 9 months ago by P. I. Simunovich
sober and superb book
A superb book by nothing pretentious that hasn't illustrations nor squares to remark the "main" contents. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Carlos Vazquez Quintana
Blood and Courage
A concise and highly readable history of five main areas of medical science relating to surgery. Part chilling and part comic, it tells the human stories behind advances made. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Grr
Brilliant!
I read this book as an introduction to the history of surgery, before starting out on a DipHe in Operating Department Practice. Read more
Published 16 months ago by DD
excellent book
Richard Hollingham's book is just what I was after. A very entertaining read with more than a few eye-openers. Read more
Published 18 months ago by blind pew
Great history of book
Didn't see the series but did read the book - highly recommend for both clinician and non-clinician alike. Easy to read, thorough and entertaining
Published 22 months ago by Dr. B. C. Burrows
Even better than the excellent BBC series.
I spotted this in my local library. I had seen the television series, and enjoyed it very much. The book itself is more detailed, and whilst not a comprehensive guide to surgery,... Read more
Published 23 months ago by L. Pedley
A bloody good read
This is a fantastic book. Like other reviewers my attention was drawn to it by the superb BBC4 series of the same name upon which the book is based (still not available on DVD... Read more
Published on 22 Nov 2009 by A. D. A. Davis
Very interesting read
Firstly, this book is not a comprehensive history of surgery. It says that in the introduction; instead the author has cherry-picked the most revolutionary, gory and fascinating... Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2009 by C. Breton
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