Under the Knife cover art

Under the Knife

A History of Surgery in 28 Remarkable Operations

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Under the Knife

By: Arnold van de Laar
Narrated by: Rich Keeble
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About this listen

The history of surgery in 28 famous operations - from Louis XIV to JFK, and from Einstein to Houdini.

In Under the Knife, surgeon Arnold Van de Laar uses his own experience and expertise to tell the witty history of the past, present and future of surgery. From the story of the desperate man from 17th-century Amsterdam who grimly cut a stone out of his own bladder to Bob Marley's deadly toe infection, Under the Knife offers all kinds of fascinating and unforgettable insights into medicine and history via the operating theatre.

What happens during an operation? How does the human body respond to being attacked by a knife, a bacterium, a cancer cell or a bullet? And, as medical advances continuously push the boundaries of what medicine can cure, what are the limits of surgery?

From the dark centuries of bloodletting and of amputations without anaesthetic to today's sterile, high-tech operating theatres, Under the Knife is both a rich cultural history and a modern anatomy class for us all.

©2018 Arnold van de Laar (P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Medicine & Health Care Industry Surgery Witty Medicine
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This is one of the few books I have listened to I the car with my entire family. It’s very entertaining and educational.
I did find some of the pronunciation a bit off as well as some of the more technical aspects of medicine but overall, a great book.

Entertaining

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I literally had a fright when the second narrator started his section in the first chapter with a high-pitched voice.

Overall great, just not the second narrator

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An enthralling look at the history of surgery. The patients involved ranged from peasants to royalty. The chapter on JFK was fascinating. Highly recommended for anyone interested in medicine or history.

Fascinating!

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Fascinating stories which have a real insight into the life of a surgeon, thanks to the author being a surgeon himself. I also really enjoyed the snippets regarding the etymology of the names used. Fascinating!

Amazing insights!

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