Read The Butchering Art Joseph Lister Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine Audible Audio Edition Lindsey Fitzharris Ralph Lister Audible Studios Books

By Tanya Richards on Friday, June 7, 2019

Read The Butchering Art Joseph Lister Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine Audible Audio Edition Lindsey Fitzharris Ralph Lister Audible Studios Books



Download As PDF : The Butchering Art Joseph Lister Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine Audible Audio Edition Lindsey Fitzharris Ralph Lister Audible Studios Books

Download PDF The Butchering Art Joseph Lister Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine Audible Audio Edition Lindsey Fitzharris Ralph Lister Audible Studios Books

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.


Read The Butchering Art Joseph Lister Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine Audible Audio Edition Lindsey Fitzharris Ralph Lister Audible Studios Books


"I'm only four chapters in, but couldn't wait to finish it to put in my review! I've seriously gone into work every day this week with some new interesting tidbit of information that I've learned (and likely been amazingly disgusted by). I'm a self-professed history nerd (and I majored in history), but this book is truly one anyone could read and enjoy. The author's writing style makes the narrative flow and helps you feel immersed in the time (for better or worse depending on how squeamish you might be) while still conveying such a vital piece of history and not overindulging in the gruesome parts. She paints the scene exactly as it would have been - which is certainly a shock when you think about how things are now!

History buffs, science lovers, people in the medical profession, fans of the morbid, fans of shows like Bones (that maybe always hid their eyes during the gruesome scenes and yet always ended up watching), anyone looking for a little real-life old-school horror for their October... READ THIS BOOK.

I know that I can't wait to finish this book (and I'll update my review if needed once I finish)."

Product details

  • Audible Audiobook
  • Listening Length 7 hours and 54 minutes
  • Program Type Audiobook
  • Version Unabridged
  • Publisher Audible Studios
  • Audible.com Release Date October 31, 2017
  • Whispersync for Voice Ready
  • Language English, English
  • ASIN B075Y3BKNF

Read The Butchering Art Joseph Lister Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine Audible Audio Edition Lindsey Fitzharris Ralph Lister Audible Studios Books

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The Butchering Art Joseph Lister Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine Audible Audio Edition Lindsey Fitzharris Ralph Lister Audible Studios Books Reviews :


The Butchering Art Joseph Lister Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine Audible Audio Edition Lindsey Fitzharris Ralph Lister Audible Studios Books Reviews


  • I'm only four chapters in, but couldn't wait to finish it to put in my review! I've seriously gone into work every day this week with some new interesting tidbit of information that I've learned (and likely been amazingly disgusted by). I'm a self-professed history nerd (and I majored in history), but this book is truly one anyone could read and enjoy. The author's writing style makes the narrative flow and helps you feel immersed in the time (for better or worse depending on how squeamish you might be) while still conveying such a vital piece of history and not overindulging in the gruesome parts. She paints the scene exactly as it would have been - which is certainly a shock when you think about how things are now!

    History buffs, science lovers, people in the medical profession, fans of the morbid, fans of shows like Bones (that maybe always hid their eyes during the gruesome scenes and yet always ended up watching), anyone looking for a little real-life old-school horror for their October... READ THIS BOOK.

    I know that I can't wait to finish this book (and I'll update my review if needed once I finish).
  • I was absolutely riveted, start to finish. I read whole chapters of it out loud to my SO because I felt it was too fascinating not to share. Anyone from a layperson with a passing interest of medical history to a medical professional will appreciate the research, passion and thought put into this book. I enjoyed it so much that as soon as I finished it, I bought two more copies for gifts.

    To the reviewers who complained about the lack of pictures Instagram and YouTube are *visual* storytelling mediums. Giving a low star review based on *your* misconception that the book would have images because the authors social media has images is unfair to the author and, quite frankly, childish. Read the book and you will find it very descriptive - no need for artist's interpretation.
  • I learned two essential things reading ‘The Butchering Art.’ Society is benefited by the good health of all the individuals within it, and that innovation has been fought by the general population throughout human history. This book casts a light on people in the medical field in the past in a way that makes you understand that each milestone was pivotal. All points of discovery through the scientific method were crucial for new heights of understanding. So thankful for trailblazers like Joseph Lister, who had the courage to question the things accepted as facts in his time. Dr. Fitzharris takes you on a journey of the past that traces the steps through history and outlines why we know what we know about the human body and the world that surrounds us. She marries science with history in a captivating way and undeniably doesn’t spare any of the brutal details. Beautifully written and dark by nature. Definitely a must read for lovers of science and for those who aren’t faint of heart.
  • My hardback copy is here!
    I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of this through NetGalley, and seriously, the second I finished it, I went and preordered it. This is one of the best and my favorite books of the year!
    Even though I just read this, I'm already rereading this.
    In short, This book really delves into the Victorian surgery practices and thanks to Joseph Lister, for forever changing what we know about surgery today. Seriously highlighted and now tabbing seems like half of the book. So fascinating and well researched.
    Looking through the hardback copy, there is an index in the back and around 30 pages of notes on where the research came from!
    I would recommend this to anyone interested in medical, history, science, an amazing well-researched biography....ok nevermind-I would recommend this to everyone.
  • It didn't take long for me to be sucked right into this book. It only just arrived today and I'm already deep into it finding that I can't put it down! The picture Lindsey Fitzharris paints with her words is inviting and gruesome all at the same time. I have read a few other books of a similar vein and have found most of them to be informational but dry and unentertaining. There are certainly no problems with that here as it is equal parts entertainment and educational. I couldn't recommend it enough!