Uncovering the Life and Times of an Extraordinary Surgeon
The gripping and vividly told story of an early-19th century surgeon and his world, written by a practicing physician who brings us his own insights into modern autopsies and surgery.
“When I was four or five years old, my mother took me to see a dead man.” This riveting memory from the author’s own life is the start of Digging up the Dead, a terrific historical narrative and an evocation of a whole world, where surgeons and body-snatchers colluded and conspired because that was the only way surgeons could acquire anatomical experience.
Astley Cooper (1768-1841), a tearaway young man from Norfolk who became a fiery radical (he took his pregnant wife to Paris during the Revolution) became a brilliantly successful surgeon. But Cooper’s real passion was dissection. He began with student raids on graveyards, and ended up running a countrywide network of informers and body snatchers, later boasting to a House of Commons enquiry that there was no one in Britain whose body he could not obtain after their death.
Author Druin Burch became fascinated by Cooper when he himself was a busy Emergency Room doctor, and here, he sets the past against his own reactions to autopsies and operations, hospitals and poetry. Beautifully written and original, with a touch of the gothic, Digging up the Dead suggests that biography too is a form of dissection and autopsy, which means “to see for oneself.”
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Druin Burch, 34, has worked in hospitals across south-east England. He teaches human evolution, physiology and ecology at Oxford and writes for medical journals, the Times Literary Supplement and the Guardian. This is his first book.
“. . . a brilliant portrait of surgical life before anesthesia, antiseptics, antibiotics and professional regulations.”–Literary Review
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 6.39
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR002358259
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.56. Seller Inventory # G1845950135I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: AwesomeBooks, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Digging Up the Dead: Uncovering the Life and Times of an Extraordinary Surgeon This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9781845950132
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: medimops, Berlin, Germany
Condition: very good. Gut/Very good: Buch bzw. Schutzumschlag mit wenigen Gebrauchsspuren an Einband, Schutzumschlag oder Seiten. / Describes a book or dust jacket that does show some signs of wear on either the binding, dust jacket or pages. Seller Inventory # M01845950135-V
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9781845950132
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: booksXpress, Bayonne, NJ, U.S.A.
Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9781845950132
Quantity: 3 available
Seller: Big Bill's Books, Wimberley, TX, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: new. Brand New Copy. Seller Inventory # BBB_new1845950135
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: GoldenDragon, Houston, TX, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: new. Buy for Great customer experience. Seller Inventory # GoldenDragon1845950135
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: GoldenWavesOfBooks, Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_1845950135
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Wizard Books, Long Beach, CA, U.S.A.
Paperback. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard1845950135
Quantity: 1 available