Under the Knife: A History of Surgery in 28 Remarkable Operations

by Arnold van de Laar

What kind of people are surgeons? What on earth makes you want to cut into someone’s body, even if they can’t feel it? How can you sleep if a patient is fighting for their life after you have operated on them? How do you carry on if a patient has died as a result of you operating on them, even though you made no errors? Are surgeons insane, brilliant or unscrupulous, heroes or show-offs? There is a great deal of tension involved in being a surgeon. Operating is a wonderful thing, but the responsibility weighs very heavily.