The Butchering Art
Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine
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The Butchering Art
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Narrated by:
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Sam Woolf
About this listen
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris, read by Sam Woolf.
In The Butchering Art, historian Lindsey Fitzharris re-creates a critical turning point in the history of medicine, when Joseph Lister transformed surgery from a brutal, harrowing practice to the safe, vaunted profession we know today.
Victorian operating theatres were known as 'gateways of death', Fitzharris reminds us, since half of those who underwent surgery didn't survive the experience. This was an era when a broken leg could lead to amputation, and surgeons were still known to ransack cemeteries to find cadavers. And in squalid, overcrowded hospitals, doctors remained baffled by the persistent infections that kept mortality rates stubbornly high.
At a time when surgery couldn't have been more dangerous, an unlikely figure stepped forward: Joseph Lister, a young Quaker surgeon. By making the audacious claim that germs were the source of all infection - and could be treated with antiseptics - he changed the history of medicine forever.
With a novelist's eye for detail, Fitzharris brilliantly conjures up the grisly world of Victorian surgery, revealing how one of Britain's greatest medical minds finally brought centuries of savagery, sawing and gangrene to an end.
©2017 Lindsey Fitzharris (P)2017 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Butchering Art
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JGEB
- 05-08-21
Very interesting and entertaining
Really interesting and entertaining biography of Joseph Lister and the origin and evolution of hygiene and infection control. Well paced.
Narrator very good at keeping interest and changing accents subtly depending on who is speaking.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Tia Maria
- 22-03-21
Fascinating & Thought Provoking
A fascinating insight into the development of Victorian medicine and surgery through Lister's dedication. An interesting read to learn about the start of the germ theory and antiseptic trials, particularly during this pandemic! Highly recommend for any medical students or history nerds.
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- Katharine Richards
- 07-11-18
The Butchering Art
Thoroughly enjoyed this! Fascinating and gruesome and marvellous. The story of Joseph Lister, surgery and germ theory, and the meeting of medicine and science. Wonderfully told and I definitely recommend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ash J
- 02-10-23
Great book
I really enjoyed this book. It was engaging and interesting throughout.
The narrator was fine apart from some absolutely bizarre complete mispronunciations of some words. Thankfully they have a nice voice otherwise!
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- Anonymous User
- 27-02-18
Fantastic
A fabulous insight into the life a work of one of the greatest minds in science.
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- Kath
- 10-12-21
Absolutely brilliant
This is such a good, interesting book. I was disappointed when it came to an end. Don't let the title put you off. If you love social history, you'll love this.
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- edward
- 07-02-24
fascinating listening
whilst Slightly too detailed in places this is a fantastic book on a subject we should know more about and the narrator is excellent too!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Lee
- 18-05-21
Really enjoyed it...
But it’s not for the faint hearted and it’s got a lot of information about people, places etc. I got a wee bit lost so had to rewind now and again. Google became my best friend plus it’s well read.
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- J M Brown
- 02-03-20
Fab!
We certainly have a lot to be grateful for!
Thank you Misters Lister and Monseur Pasteur!
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- Sandy2
- 26-05-23
Making surgery a safer practice.
Brilliantly written account of how Joseph Lister changed the face and practices of medicine forever.
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