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wangx0800's review
3.0
Wish there are more scientific materials in the book, but understand that's not the focus here.
miguelf's review
5.0
Very much like a good documentary (in the Errol Morris vein) the life of Robert White is explored. A colorful character, who at once devised life saving brain surgical techniques but also stood on the more cutting edge, or needless edge, of surgery in attempting head transplant surgeries on macaques. It helps that White was not a dull figure by any sense of the imagination and that the author delivers the story in a page turning format. The exploration of the early animal rights movement is also interesting although not as fully formed. But overall a fascinating biography of someone who certainly lived on the bleeding edge of science in their time.
hydecircus's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
The true story of one of the most fascinating men to have ever lived. I find myself finishing this book and growing a desperate desire to go into medicine, to complete what Robert White wasn't able to in his lifetime. And after that find a way to resurrect him, just to let him know that his legacy lives on. The most unexpected part of the story was just how right he was. You hear about his expirements only in the most sensationalist contexts: "Look at what this crazy doctor did to monkeys in the 70s!" You go into a book like this expecting someone almost cartoonishly evil and completely lacking in care for others, and come away from it mourning that he never got to complete his ultimate goal. Or maybe thats just what I, as another Frankenstein fanatic, took away from it. Either way, the trip through this particular era of American medical history is endlessly interesting to read about. The half star off is for a bit of a slow start, but once it picks up it doesn't ever stop or slow down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
deanagrummons's review
4.0
This book discusses the life and career of Dr. Robert White. If you are at all squeamish, you should probably avoid the pictures. There is a lot of talk about animal experiments and the possibility for human experiments. It also discusses, in passing, other surgeons from around the world who were working on organ transplants. There is both sides of the ethical questions brought up as well. From families of organ "donors" having their loved one used for donation and from organizations like PETA in regards to experiments on animals. And of course, from the doctors who think about the lives they are/or could potentially save. All in all, it's an interesting read.
tyrshand's review
5.0
If you are at all the kind of person who would be interested in a scientist who wants to perfect the full body transplant, this is the book for you. It's fascinating and horrifying and sometimes a little inspiring? (but mostly the first two) If there is anything science history books have taught me, it's that every time someone does an unethical thing, society remembers even if individuals don't. And this poisons acceptance of good things. So, you know, scientists, try not to be total creeps and pay attention to your various ethics boards. ;)
socraticgadfly's review
3.0
I was torn between three and four stars. The story isn't bad, but it's not fantastic.
And, there's enough writing problems, both on big picture editing and on style, to drop it to three.
First, the good/interesting. I had never heard of Dr. Robert White before, and did not know he was the man behind modern brain perfusion, which has made a lot of modern brain surgery possible. That probably includes cranially joined conjoined twins, not even mentioned here.
Some of the ethics issues are good, including White pushing for a (Catholic) theological based version of brain death, the eventual US legal standard of brain death and more.
Also interesting is the way White embraced the "Frankenstein" angle and even better, back to the ethics side, the way he willingly tangled with PETA and defended animal research surgery.
That said, it's uneven as a bio outside of this.
We get snippets of his wife. But, not a lot. What did she think of him, beyond the bits we're told, if available? We get tiny snippets of his kids, not enough to be worth inclusion.
Then, we get a conclusion chapter, which describes the way a semi-collaborator internationally from the "old days" and some of his students are working on spinal repair surgery, along with electrodes bypassing the spine. We're told bits of what White thought about the "cyborg" angle, but not a lot, and especially not if he, in hindsight, regretted his Frankenstein ideas, and/or regarded them as unnecessary. (Exactly what the Frankenstein is, is spoiler alert.)
Then there's the stylistic bits, jarring in part because Schillace is a former professor of literature.
The carotid arteries are described early on as the "great pulsing veins of the neck." Besides coming off as a bit purplish, that's a horrible word picture because the carotid arteries are ARTERIES!
Later, when White flies to Russia, we're told he's cruising over the ocean, which sounds like an ocean liner or cruise ship, but at "60,000 feet," which is not the normal cruising altitude for passenger jets, which is actually under 40,000 feet.
Later on, we're told about a bitterly cold start to a March day in Cleveland that eventually gets in the 50s. Given that the average temp in Cleveland for the full month of March is 47 degrees, anywhere in the 50s would be balmy.
To put it another way, Mary Roach, whose books are guaranteed to be moderately entertaining 3-stars, is among the blurbers. Enough said.
And, there's enough writing problems, both on big picture editing and on style, to drop it to three.
First, the good/interesting. I had never heard of Dr. Robert White before, and did not know he was the man behind modern brain perfusion, which has made a lot of modern brain surgery possible. That probably includes cranially joined conjoined twins, not even mentioned here.
Some of the ethics issues are good, including White pushing for a (Catholic) theological based version of brain death, the eventual US legal standard of brain death and more.
Also interesting is the way White embraced the "Frankenstein" angle and even better, back to the ethics side, the way he willingly tangled with PETA and defended animal research surgery.
That said, it's uneven as a bio outside of this.
We get snippets of his wife. But, not a lot. What did she think of him, beyond the bits we're told, if available? We get tiny snippets of his kids, not enough to be worth inclusion.
Then, we get a conclusion chapter, which describes the way a semi-collaborator internationally from the "old days" and some of his students are working on spinal repair surgery, along with electrodes bypassing the spine. We're told bits of what White thought about the "cyborg" angle, but not a lot, and especially not if he, in hindsight, regretted his Frankenstein ideas, and/or regarded them as unnecessary. (Exactly what the Frankenstein is, is spoiler alert.)
Then there's the stylistic bits, jarring in part because Schillace is a former professor of literature.
The carotid arteries are described early on as the "great pulsing veins of the neck." Besides coming off as a bit purplish, that's a horrible word picture because the carotid arteries are ARTERIES!
Later, when White flies to Russia, we're told he's cruising over the ocean, which sounds like an ocean liner or cruise ship, but at "60,000 feet," which is not the normal cruising altitude for passenger jets, which is actually under 40,000 feet.
Later on, we're told about a bitterly cold start to a March day in Cleveland that eventually gets in the 50s. Given that the average temp in Cleveland for the full month of March is 47 degrees, anywhere in the 50s would be balmy.
To put it another way, Mary Roach, whose books are guaranteed to be moderately entertaining 3-stars, is among the blurbers. Enough said.
cmd_prompt's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Medical content, and Animal death
mar's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
[cold war era scientist voice] im going to do something SO ethically dubious yet morbidly fascinating,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Medical content, and Animal cruelty
VERY graphic descriptions of gruesome experiments performed on monkeys (and dogs, to a lesser extent)smokeyshouse's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.5
Terrible title and subtitle, which did not make me want to read this book which turned out to be a fascinating history of organ transplantation and more, with an the attendant ethical and philosophical issues. Engaging and well-paced writing.