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Under the Knife

A History of Surgery in 28 Remarkable Operations

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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 seventeenth-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.

(P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited©2018 Arnold van de Laar Medicine & Health Care Industry Surgery Witty Medicine

Critic reviews

This is history with a surgeon's touch: deft, incisive and sometimes excruciatingly bloody . . . A fascinating combination of art, medical science and - still - daring butchery
Utterly eccentric and riveting
Irresistible . . . Van de Laar renders complex surgical procedures not only understandable, but also immensely entertaining . . . A lot of fun
[A] fascinating history of surgery . . . eye-opening and, frequently, eye-watering . . . a book that invites readers to peer up the bottoms of kings, into the souls of rock stars and down the ear canals of astronauts (Helen Brown)
Fascinating . . . a brisk but revealing tour of the human body. Each story shines a light on the wonders and weaknesses of our biology, and on the science we have used to treat it
Fascinating . . . The author's sense of humour is as sharp as his scapel
In this witty chronicle, surgeon Arnold van de Laar dissects thousands of years' worth of remarkably gruesome stories. From anaesthetic-free amputations and bloodletting to Albert Einstein's aneurysm, these are key insights into the cut and thrust of medicine
All stars
Most relevant
But what a treasure although some may find it a bit gruesome I found it fascinating
It came to an end quite suddenly and I was left wanting more
A real eye opener

Not at all what I expected !!

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As a scrub nurse it was amusing to hear the stories behind some of the instruments we regularly use and hand over to the surgeons. busmans holiday. Love the story about the first TSR

Really interesting facts and anecdotes

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You need a strong stomach for some of the content of this book but it is extremely interesting and well researched. Highly recommended!

Fascinating

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This is a fascinating tour of the human body and the incredible work surgeons do. There are lots of wince inducing moments though. It’s best not to think too hard about life before anaesthetic. Also, if you are put off by words like pus and fistula, don’t even start. Everyone else - this is a deeply interesting look at surgery past, present and futures.

Fascinating but at times unpleasant

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This audiobook provides an interesting insight into the history of surgery. Well worth a listen.

Very interesting

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