Dr. Mütter's marvels : a true tale of intrigue and innovation at the dawn of modern medicine / by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz.
A mesmerizing biography of the brilliant and eccentric medical innovator who revolutionized American surgery and founded the country's most famous museum of medical oddities. Imagine undergoing an operation without anesthesia performed by a surgeon who refuses to sterilize his tools-or even wash his hands. This was the world of medicine when Thomas Dent Mütter began his trailblazing career as a plastic surgeon in Philadelphia during the middle of the nineteenth century. Although he died at just forty-eight, Mütter was an audacious medical innovator who pioneered the use of ether as anesthesia, the sterilization of surgical tools, and a compassion-based vision for helping the severely deformed, which clashed spectacularly with the sentiments of his time. Brilliant, outspoken, and brazenly handsome, Mütter was flamboyant in every aspect of his life. He wore pink silk suits to perform surgery, added an umlaut to his last name just because he could, and amassed an immense collection of medical oddities that would later form the basis of Philadelphia's Mütter Museum. Award-winning writer Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz vividly chronicles how Mütter's efforts helped establish Philadelphia as a global mecca for medical innovation-despite intense resistance from his numerous rivals. (Foremost among them : Charles D. Meigs, an influential obstetrician who loathed Mütter's "overly" modern medical opinions.) In the narrative spirit of The Devil in the White City, Dr. Mütter's Marvels interweaves an eye-opening portrait of nineteenth-century medicine with the riveting biography of a man once described as the "P.T. Barnum of the surgery room."--Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 1592408702
- ISBN: 9781592408702
- Physical Description: 371 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
- Publisher: New York, New York : Gotham Books, [2014]
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-354) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Part 1 -- Chapter 1 Monsters 7 -- Chapter 2 City of Brotherly Love 23 -- Chapter 3 To Render Evil More Endurable 3 -- Chapter 4 Medical Athens of America 47 -- Chapter 5 A Falcon Flight 55 -- Chapter 6 Ce Que Femme Veut, Dieu le Veut Aussi! 67 -- Chapter 7 Great Thaw 73 -- Chapter 8 New Jefferson Medical College 83 -- Chapter 9 Right Arm of the College 91 -- Part 2 -- Chapter 10 Dwell Not Then upon What Has Been Done 109 -- Chapter 11 Root of the Trouble 121 -- Chapter 12 World to Come 727 -- Chapter 13 Women Who Were Swallowed by Fire 137 -- Chapter 14 To Unmake Monsters 147 -- Chapter 15 To Remedy Evils 757 -- Chapter 16 Gentlemen, This Is No Humbug 175 -- Chapter 17 Advent 181 -- Chapter 18 All the Fair Daughters of Eve 187 -- Chapter 19 If I May hut Touch His Garment, I Shall Be Whole 195 -- Part 3 -- Chapter 20 These Deeds of Blood 211 -- Chapter 21 That Bourne from Which No Traveler Returns 225 -- Chapter 22 Rich Fruits of Life's Labors 233 -- Chapter 23 Voices of the Illustrious Dead 241 -- Chapter 24 Look to God for Pardon 251 -- Chapter 25 While There Is Life, There Is Hope 263 -- Chapter 26 Leave Nothing Undone 279 -- Chapter 27 World Is No Place of Rest 289.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Mütter, Thomas D. (Thomas Dent), 1811-1859.
Mütter Museum.
Surgeons > United States > Biography.
Surgery > United States > History > 19th century. - Genre:
- Biographies.
Available copies
- 15 of 15 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Onslow County Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 15 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Main Library | BIO MUTTER (Text) | 36015000039848 | Adult Biography | Available | - |
