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The Knife Man. The Extraordinary Life and Times of John Hunter, Father of Modern Surgery
 
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The Knife Man. The Extraordinary Life and Times of John Hunter, Father of Modern Surgery (Hardcover)

by Wendy Moore (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 359 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam Press; 1 edition (1 Feb 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0593052099
  • ISBN-13: 978-0593052099
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.8 x 5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 222,761 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

Praise for "the Knife Man":
" The surgeon John Hunter (1728- 93) is not a well-known name outside specialist circles, although that scandalous situation should be corrected by Wendy Moore's marvelous biography." -- "The Times Higher"
" Definitely not for the squeamish, Moore's visceral portrait of this complex and brilliant man offers a wonderful insight into sickness, suffering, and surgery in the 18th century." -- "The Guardian (UK)"
" Moore's feel for pace and narrative is impeccable. Her book contains just the right amount of background scenery to bring Hunter alive without swamping him.... She is, at last, the biographer Hunter deserves." -- "The Independent"


JAMES LE FANU, Literary Review

'Always vivid and entertaining...The Knife Man leaves one entranced with Moore's hero and the age in which he lived.'
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, 7 Jun 2005
By Sylvia Burrows (Malvern) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This was very well written, a gripping insight into the life and times of John Hunter. Very well researched and detailed, although rather gruesome in places, but a fascinating history of the man known as the father of modern surgery. Would be of interest to those interested in history, as well as students of medicine
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Book, 5 Dec 2006
By Z. Kamarzaman "Sleep Doc" (Staffordshire) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Knife Man: Blood, Body-snatching and the Birth of Modern Surgery (Paperback)
The Hunter brothers are a complete breed of their own. It amazes me to see how far we have progressed on in both science and medicine. Certainly, ethical issues were raised then but played less than a major role then compared to now!

Wendy Moore has written a brilliant book which has been very well researched. I am very impressed with the way she has written the book. She has manage to take you through the 17th century explaining what the present society is like, what the Hunter brothers achieved, done and given to the world, the elite medical society and the customers it serves. It explains very well the many significant symbols and discoveries in modern medicine and how science and medicine (or the medical professionals) will do anything both in quest of knowledge and to achieve name and glory. The book is not dull at all as it takes you through to the life of John Hunter during his childhood, his adolescent and adulthood. She also involves those surrounding him and explains each of their role, to whom their life is related to him or stood independently. She talks about the squabbles and the disagreement between members of the medical professionals and the competitiveness felt between them during that era.

It is not for the faint-hearted as there are descriptions of body parts (described brilliantly - it makes your stomach churned!) and how they are dismembered and obtained, in the name of science.

I do recommend this book. A visit to the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University should be followed up upon completion of this book to give a better appreciation of the things described. There is an original copy of the Gravid Uterus based I think at Glasgow University Library. Certainly you can still see the plaster casts of the stages in pregnancy at the Anatomy Museum based also at Glasgow University.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Blood and brilliance, 6 April 2006
By A Customer
This review is from: The Knife Man: Blood, Body-snatching and the Birth of Modern Surgery (Paperback)
This book describes the adventures of a man who injected himself with syphillis, was a major exponent of the art of bodysnatching, was famed and feared for his experiments on live an dead creatures, who transplated teeth and who debunked many of the classical theories on medicine. In short the book, even for a non-scientist like myself, is fascinating with its insights into Georgian society and the way in which it charts the emergerence of John Hunter as one of the founders of modern science. An outstanding read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Read
This is an excellent biography of John Hunter, one of the most famous surgeons to ever have lived. The author is an expert writer and whilst it can be a cliché to speak of history... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Ibrahim Ali

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Brilliant Biography
As far as biography's go, The Knife Mans is probably the best I have ever read. Although the brilliance of the book is significantly aided by its extraordinary subject matter,... Read more
Published on 15 Aug 2007 by Wildlife Bookworm

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant and Detailed Biography of the British Vesalius
When John Hunter was born in 1728, medicine and surgery was still in a dark age riven with ancient beliefs, an unwillingness to accept proven discoveries and an even great... Read more
Published on 6 Jun 2006 by Joan H. Hammond

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