Ether Day is the unpredictable story of America's first major scientific discovery -- the use of anesthesia -- told in an absorbing narrative that traces the dawn of modern surgery through the lives of three extraordinary men. Ironically, the "discovery" was really no discovery at all: Ether and nitrous oxide had been known for more than forty years to cause insensitivity to pain, yet, with names like "laughing gas," they were used almost solely for entertainment. Meanwhile, patients still underwent operations during which they saw, heard, and felt every cut the surgeon made. The image of a grim and grisly operating room, like the one in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, was in fact starkly accurate in portraying the conditions of surgery before anesthesia.
With hope for relief seemingly long gone, the breakthrough finally came about by means of a combination of coincidence and character, as a cunning Boston dentist crossed paths with an inventive colleague from Hartford and a brilliant Harvard-trained physician. William Morton, Horace Wells, and Charles Jackson: a con man, a dreamer, and an intellectual. Though Wells was crushed by derision when he tried to introduce anesthetics, Morton prevailed, with help from Jackson. The result was Ether Day, October 16, 1846, celebrated around the world. By that point, though, no honor was enough. Ether Day was not only the dawn of modern surgery, but the beginning of commercialized medicine as well, as Morton patented the discovery.
What followed was a battle so bitter that it sent all three men spiraling wildly out of control, at the same time that anesthetics began saving countless lives. Meticulously researched and masterfully written, Ether Day is a riveting look at one of history's most remarkable untold stories.

Ether Day: The Strange Tale of America's Greatest Medical Discovery and The Haunted Men Who Made It

History

Julie M. Fenster

Americas

Harper

Mavericks, Miracles, and Medicine brings to life stories of the pioneering geniuses, eccentrics, and freethinkers who moved beyond the conventions of their day at great personal risk—and often with tragic results—to push forward the boundaries of modern medicine. From Werner Forssmann, who was so confident in his theory that doctors could insert a catheter into humans’ hearts for diagnostic purposes that he inserted one into his own heart, while watching on a live X ray (and was basically thrown out of the profession, only to be awarded the Nobel Prize just before his death many years later), to Anton Von Leewenhoek, a draper and part-time janitor who discovered the existence of protozoa, bacteria, sperm, and blood cells; from Wilhelm Roentgen, who developed the X-ray machine in his basement with a single cathode ray and some cardboard, to Jean-Baptiste Denis who gave the first-known blood transfusion (with sheep’s blood) and was later charged with murder (on manufactured evidence), Mavericks, Miracles, and Medicine is populated with the heretics and visionaries who forever changed medical science. This fully illustrated publication is the companion volume to The History Channel mini-series of the same name.

Mavericks, Miracles, and Medicine: The Pioneers Who Risked Their Lives to Bring Medicine into the Modern Age

Medical Books

Administration & Medicine Economics

Carroll&Graf

This is a call to arms to re-evaluate the way we think about and deal with Alzheimer's disease. The author puts forth that the current view of Alzheimer's as a virtual death sentence obscures the potential for vitality and wisdom that still exists in the graying years. He posits that there is a wide range of cognitive impairment and that the trajectory does not necessarily end in the deepest throes of senility, impaired body function, and dependence on twenty-four-hour care. He contends that the label of Alzheimer's generates fear, paranoia, and anxiety, and by taking a closer look at what Alzheimer's is and isn't, he can offer hope to individuals, as well as their families, who suffer from a decline in their cognitive abilities. He presents a new approach to the treatment of brain aging, using examples from his own practice as well as from around the world, and provides practical information so that readers can get the best level of care for themselves or their loved ones.

The Myth of Alzheimer's: The Story of a Disease, a Doctor, and a New Direction for Aging in the 21st Century

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Whitehouse M.d.

Peter J. ph.d

Danny George

Exercise & Fitness

Blackstone Audio,Inc.

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Books by Julie M. Fenster