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feralreader's review against another edition
4.0
Dr. Mütter (the umlaut was an affectation) was brilliant, contributed greatly to his field and lived a fascinating life. But the man was also *delightful*. You have to meet him.
beth_menendez's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely fantastic story of a doctor who brought so very much to early medicine. It is a fascinating look at what surgery was like before anesthesia. So interesting. Go read it now. Then take a field trip to the Museum in Philadelphia. I myself cannot wait to do just that.
lisaeirene's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of people might have heard of the Mutter museum in Philadelphia,a museum of "medical oddities", but there was actually a pretty important doctor by the name of Thomas Mutter who played an important part in medical history.
He was orphaned at a young age and then sent to a distant relative who was basically a caregiver. Eventually he went to boarding school and then medical school. He became a gifted doctor and a surgeon and created the "Mutter Flap" to treat burn victims. It was an early method of skin grafting/plastic surgery.
"The broken. The diseased. The cursed. People who were considered monsters, even by medical definition. Mütter welcomed them all. An expert and efficient surgeon, he systematically rehearsed every procedure in his mind before beginning it."
"Monsters. This is how the patients would have been categorized in America. Mutter was used to seeing them replicated in wax for classroom display, or hidden in back rooms away from the public eye. It was not uncommon for these patients to enter the surgical room fully prepared to die. Death was a risk they happily took for the chance to bring some level of peace and normality to their mangled faces or agonized bodies."
He was renowned for his patient care, his surgical skill, his engaging teaching techniques in the classroom and he became the Chair of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.
"Mütter had fought hard to make sure Jefferson Medical College provided recovery rooms to all patients who offered themselves up to the knife at the school’s surgical clinic."
He performed hundreds of surgeries on patients who were "deformed" and gave many their lives back. He was also the first surgeon to use ether anesthesia during surgery (in 1846).
"Mütter’s fight for anesthesia to be widely accepted—to be adopted by doctors and surgeons as swiftly as possible in order to end what he saw as unnecessary human suffering—proved to be a turning point in his career...It was often a guessing game to determine how much was needed to sedate the patient . . . and how little could be used to kill them."
He was so ground breaking and fascinating and he tragically lived a short life. His collection of medical "oddities" was bequeathed to a museum which became the Mutter Museum after he died. The book also talked a lot about the time period and the beginning of modern medicine and discoveries. It was so fascinating!
He was orphaned at a young age and then sent to a distant relative who was basically a caregiver. Eventually he went to boarding school and then medical school. He became a gifted doctor and a surgeon and created the "Mutter Flap" to treat burn victims. It was an early method of skin grafting/plastic surgery.
"The broken. The diseased. The cursed. People who were considered monsters, even by medical definition. Mütter welcomed them all. An expert and efficient surgeon, he systematically rehearsed every procedure in his mind before beginning it."
"Monsters. This is how the patients would have been categorized in America. Mutter was used to seeing them replicated in wax for classroom display, or hidden in back rooms away from the public eye. It was not uncommon for these patients to enter the surgical room fully prepared to die. Death was a risk they happily took for the chance to bring some level of peace and normality to their mangled faces or agonized bodies."
He was renowned for his patient care, his surgical skill, his engaging teaching techniques in the classroom and he became the Chair of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.
"Mütter had fought hard to make sure Jefferson Medical College provided recovery rooms to all patients who offered themselves up to the knife at the school’s surgical clinic."
He performed hundreds of surgeries on patients who were "deformed" and gave many their lives back. He was also the first surgeon to use ether anesthesia during surgery (in 1846).
"Mütter’s fight for anesthesia to be widely accepted—to be adopted by doctors and surgeons as swiftly as possible in order to end what he saw as unnecessary human suffering—proved to be a turning point in his career...It was often a guessing game to determine how much was needed to sedate the patient . . . and how little could be used to kill them."
He was so ground breaking and fascinating and he tragically lived a short life. His collection of medical "oddities" was bequeathed to a museum which became the Mutter Museum after he died. The book also talked a lot about the time period and the beginning of modern medicine and discoveries. It was so fascinating!
tofuqu33n's review against another edition
4.0
What a fascinating man. Hearing about medicine in the 1800s makes me so grateful for modern medicine!
nellkup06's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating book on the history of medicine in the early to mid 1800's through one of its pioneers. Good read.
swoody788's review against another edition
2.0
I'm going to sound like a snob here but that's a label I'm willing to risk in this review. It is obvious to me that Aptowicz is not a historian. When I pick up a work of historical nonfiction I expect to be presented with mostly facts and maybe a few acknowledged assumptions or conclusions the author has made based on his or her research. Key words being "few" and "acknowledged". A historian projecting his or her modern-day opinions or ideals onto historical figures with no factual basis really bothers me. Aptowicz herself admitted that her subject, Dr. Thomas Dent Mütter, did not keep a journal and left very few personal documents, so how in the world can she constantly describe how he was feeling about certain situations? I respect the research that she did do to bring Mütter's story back into public knowledge, but please either stick with the facts or label your book historical fiction.
Much more troubling than her projection of feelings onto Mütter, however, was her villanization of Mütter's colleague, Dr. Charles Meigs, who she basically attempted to turn into a foil for her main character. I believe that Mütter was an exceptional surgeon for his time, and very innovative and forward-thinking, but does that mean that his contemporaries who followed current practices and were a little more reticent to change were bad people? Give me a break. As the story progressed and Aptowicz continued to vilify Meigs, I trusted her less and less as an author, so that by the end I was incredibly skeptical of all she had written. Her habit of rejoicing in Meigs' setbacks and trials really bothered me, especially as she described the losses he endured in his last years of life as if he deserved them in some sort of poetically justified way.
All that being said, the subject matter was very interesting to me and easily kept my attention until the last few chapters. I would be interested to visit the museum in Philadelphia where Mütter's collection is housed and to learn more about him from a more reliable source.
Much more troubling than her projection of feelings onto Mütter, however, was her villanization of Mütter's colleague, Dr. Charles Meigs, who she basically attempted to turn into a foil for her main character. I believe that Mütter was an exceptional surgeon for his time, and very innovative and forward-thinking, but does that mean that his contemporaries who followed current practices and were a little more reticent to change were bad people? Give me a break. As the story progressed and Aptowicz continued to vilify Meigs, I trusted her less and less as an author, so that by the end I was incredibly skeptical of all she had written. Her habit of rejoicing in Meigs' setbacks and trials really bothered me, especially as she described the losses he endured in his last years of life as if he deserved them in some sort of poetically justified way.
All that being said, the subject matter was very interesting to me and easily kept my attention until the last few chapters. I would be interested to visit the museum in Philadelphia where Mütter's collection is housed and to learn more about him from a more reliable source.
beccann253's review against another edition
4.0
(Audiobook). This book is a super fun break from the fiction I normally read.
A little gross at times but honestly the details just made it more interesting.
I ended up doing some research about the procedures described after finishing reading, and found myself interested in a part of history I had never thought about before.
A little gross at times but honestly the details just made it more interesting.
I ended up doing some research about the procedures described after finishing reading, and found myself interested in a part of history I had never thought about before.
court_sport's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really cool read that teaches a lot about the roots of modern medicine and the man who kickstarted it all. The text provides a lot of insight into where we started and how that directly leads to where we are today, which was simultaneously fascinating and appalling. Some sections felt a teensy bit dry or long-winded, but generally this is very readable nonfiction.
Highly recommend the print version because it includes tons of helpful illustrations and diagrams.
Highly recommend the print version because it includes tons of helpful illustrations and diagrams.
michebookies's review against another edition
5.0
Incredibly well researched and written. I learned so much about the man behind the museum that I only ever associated him with.
renee_rain's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Summary:
Take a journey into the medical world of the mid-1800's through the life of Thomas Dent Mütter, a surgeon in Philadelphia before the discovery of anesthesia.
My Thoughts:
I picked up this book because I plan to visit the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia. What I thought would be about the macabre artifacts in the museum turned out to be the life story of the collector himself.
This book is wonderfully researched and written. I was able to read it in a moderate pace that is unusual for non-fiction books.
Take a journey into the medical world of the mid-1800's through the life of Thomas Dent Mütter, a surgeon in Philadelphia before the discovery of anesthesia.
My Thoughts:
I picked up this book because I plan to visit the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia. What I thought would be about the macabre artifacts in the museum turned out to be the life story of the collector himself.
This book is wonderfully researched and written. I was able to read it in a moderate pace that is unusual for non-fiction books.