Dead Men’s Teeth – Episode 15 – Under The Knife
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFMBUDRUtRQ&w=560&h=315] In Episode 15 of Under The Knife, I explore the horrible reality behind dental practices from the past, including how dentures used to be made from the teeth of executed criminals, exhumed bodies, and sometimes even slaves. Don’t forget you can now pre-order my book THE BUTCHERING ART in the US (click here) and […]
Quacks & Hacks: Walter Freeman and the Lobotomobile
On 12 November 1935, a Portuguese neurologist named Antonio Egas Moniz [below right] became the first individual to perform what would later be known as a lobotomy. Moniz’s work built upon that of the 19th-century Swiss psychiatrist, Gottlieb Burkhardt, who performed a series of operations in 1888 in which he removed sections of the cerebral […]
Painful Operations: Removing Bladder Stones before Anesthesia
If you visit the Gordon Museum at Guy’s Hospital in London, you’ll see a small bladder stone—no bigger than 3 centimetres across. Besides the fact that it has been sliced open to reveal concentric circles within, it is entirely unremarkable in appearance. Yet, this tiny stone was the source of enormous pain for 53-year-old Stephen […]
The Butchering Art – UK Cover Reveal!
I’m thrilled to reveal the UK cover for my upcoming book THE BUTCHERING ART, which will be published by Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin, on October 17th. The book tells the story of the surgeon Joseph Lister and his quest to transform the brutal world of Victorian surgery through antisepsis. For those of you […]
Pre-Order My Book! The Butchering Art
I’m thrilled to reveal the cover for the US edition of my forthcoming book, THE BUTCHERING ART, which will be published by FSG on October 17th. The book delves into the grisly world of Victorian surgery and transports the reader to a period when a broken leg could result in amputation, when giving birth in a […]
Syphilis: A Little Valentine’s Day Love Story
We don’t know much about her. We don’t even know her name. What we do know is that the woman who wore this prosthetic in the mid-19th century was suffering from a severe case of syphilis.
The Surgeon who Operated on Himself
Leonid Ivanovich Rogozov (pictured above and below right) knew he was in trouble when he began experiencing intense pain in lower right quadrant of his abdomen. He had been feeling unwell for several days, but suddenly, his temperature skyrocketed and he was overcome by waves of nausea. The 27-year-old surgeon knew it could only be […]
Under The Knife – Reboot!
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MBNgVKIREE] It’s been 18 months since I’ve filmed an episode of my YouTube series, Under The Knife. But that ends today! Check out the trailer to the series reboot, which may or may not involve my severed head. A NEW episode is coming next week. If you haven’t subscribed to the channel, please do. You’ll […]
“We Have Conquered Pain!” The Uses & Abuses of Ether in History
The surgical revolution began with an American dentist and a curiously sweet-smelling liquid known as ether.
The Medicalization of Death in History
When the Black Death swept through Europe in the 14th century, it claimed the lives of over 75 million people, many of who were clergymen whose job it was to help usher the dying into the next world. In response to the shortage of priests, the Ars Moriendi (Art of Dying) first emerged in 1415. […]