Publisher Description

The story of the human heart told through 11 ground-breaking operations'Thrilling... The "dizzying" story of heart surgery is every bit as important as that of the nuclear, computer or rocket ages. And now it has been given the history it deserves' James McConnachie, Sunday TimesFor thousands of years the human heart remained the deepest of mysteries; both home to the soul and an organ too complex to touch, let alone operate on. Then, in the late nineteenth century, medics began going where no one had dared go before.In eleven landmark operations, Thomas Morris tells us stories of triumph, reckless bravery, swaggering arrogance, jealousy and rivalry, and incredible ingenuity, from the trail-blazing 'blue baby' procedure to the first human heart transplant. The Matter of the Heart gives us a view over the surgeon's shoulder, showing us the heart's inner workings and failings. It describes both a human story and a history of risk-taking that has ultimately saved millions of lives.

Notes

The eleven landmark heart operations narrated through in this title from the former In Our Time producer offer a story of the development of heart surgery to the contemporary standard.

Author Biography

Thomas Morris is a writer and historian. His first book, The Matter of the Heart, a critically-acclaimed history of heart surgery, was published in 2017 and won an RSL Jerwood Award for non-fiction. His second, The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth, was chosen by Mental Floss as one of the best books of 2018. He was previously a BBC radio producer for 18 years, and his freelance journalism has appeared in publications including The Times, The Lancet and the TLS.

Review

Thrilling ... Significant and often immersive… The "dizzying" story of heart surgery is every bit as important as that of the nuclear, computer or rocket ages. And now it has been given the history it deserves -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *
The research that has gone into this book is simply staggering, and Morris has achieved much more than a history of heart operations… It is a study of human beings driven by Olympian ambition and bottomless curiosity. It is, in the end, a book about wonder. And a wonderful book. -- Frances Wilson * Daily Telegraph, 5 stars ***** *
Gripping... The Matter of the Heart details the breathtaking advances that have been made in the past 100 years. -- John Crace * Guardian *
Thomas Morris has written not a history of medical ideas about the heart, but a history of heart surgery... The stories come quickly: fluent, wry, admiring ... Morris has made something unique: a history less of people than of procedures, but lively, enthusiastic and brimming with detail ... anything but boring. -- Gavin Francis * New Statesman *
I recommend the book to all who are fascinated by the medical world...a thoroughly engaging history. * Wall Street Journal *
Fascinating and compelling... There are also remarkable tales of survival against the odds perseverance, ingenuity and awe-inspiring feats... Morris deftly constructs an engaging narrative that covers a vast range of material -- Manjit Kumar * Literary Review *
With the cut and thrust of cardiac surgery now demystified, we forget that venturing into the thoracic cavity once seemed as daunting as polar exploration. Or more so: as Thomas Morris reveals in this stirring chronicle, even touching a beating heart was long viewed as impossible… Told through 11 pivotal operations, it's a tale of ingenuity... It's rich, too, in alarming details — not least, the injections of strychnine and whisky that featured in early surgery -- Barbara Kiser * Nature *
Thomas Morris does for the history of cardiac surgery what The Right Stuff and Hidden Figures did for the space race... The book is - appropriately - pulse-thumpingly gripping and will be enjoyed by anyone who, in any sense of the phrase, has a heart. -- Mark Lawson
Tremendous. An exhilarating sweep through ancient history and contemporary practice in surgery of the heart. It's rich in extraordinary detail and stories that will amaze you. A wonderful book. -- Melvyn Bragg
Standing outside this precious and pressured world, Morris provides an even-handed and honest survey of the pioneers and their breakthroughs… intelligent -- Wendy Moore * The Times *

Promotional

The story of the human heart told through 11 ground-breaking operations

Review Text

Thrilling ... Significant and often immersive... The "dizzying" story of heart surgery is every bit as important as that of the nuclear, computer or rocket ages. And now it has been given the history it deserves

Review Quote

Thrilling ... Significant and often immersive... The "dizzying" story of heart surgery is every bit as important as that of the nuclear, computer or rocket ages. And now it has been given the history it deserves

Promotional "Headline"

The story of the human heart told through 11 ground-breaking operations

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