Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine

I love medical history. This book did not disappoint. It takes a pivotal period and brings it to life in full color. Not good to eat and read this book at the same time if you have a queasy stomach. Great writing. Great research. Great read.

THE BUTCHERING ART succeeds at the tricky feat of being both fast-paced and erudite. It's also incredibly moving to watch as Lister tries desperately to ease the suffering of his fellow humans--with ultimate, history-changing success. Highly recommended by this lover of books and medical historian.

Well written insight into the transformation of surgery practices. Great read with excellent facts without the unneeded in-depth descriptions of surgery procedures that would chase away the squemish (like me ?)

Just finished reading this book last night. While it is not a read for the squeamish, i would rank it as one of the best new books i have read in 2017. Caught the author on CPAN's BookTV and had to immediately order the book.

Really enjoyed the history of germ theory and how Lister's life shaped who he was as a person and doctor, but also guided him through his discoveries. Easy read that I didn't want to put down. Highly recommend.

I like reading about the Victorian era and I like reading about medical history, and this hit both of those. Well written, sympathetic, and enjoyable all around. Highly recommend! Be warned: if blood and guts bother you, there are a lot, lovingly described.

This book is amazing. It is gory and informative. It sets up a true depiction of what victorian medicine was and it was horrifying. I'm only a few chapters in but it will 100% be a book I read multiple times.

Very interesting and very well written. Would recommend to anyone in the medical field. Really makes you appreciative of where we are now in surgical medicine and very humble to know where we were only 100 years ago

A most excellent read! The Butchering Art is an interestingly researched journey of the life of Joseph Lister and the surgeon scene in the 19th century, I was thoroughly engrossed. I'd also like to read more about Quakers now.

A detailed and vivid look at the state of medicine and the conditions in Victorian England in the mid 1800s. I liked the way the author blended an overview of the period with the personal and professional struggles that Lister went through to have his concepts accepted.A more abbreviated description of the events was written by Atul Gawande in the New Yorker several years ago which gives an excellent perspective of the events and how they influenced modern surgery and medicine.
Peter Spiegel

It's truly amazing that the a progressive nation like the US didn't modernize the medical system for such a long time. I had read before that many of our leaders in medicine and surgery went to France to learn more about their chosen profession, but I didn't realize how they seem to have been largely ignored when the tried to tell doctors in America what they had learned. Very interesting and well-written. I won't disclose the answer to my title question, but the answer is in this book. Absolutely amazing!