I first learned of Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris through her fascinating as well as informative The Chirurgeon’s Apprentice presentations. From the very first one I could clearly perceive that she possessed a superb sense of what makes medical history interesting to a general audience as well as a way of telling stories that was particularly captivating. When I took up a reading of her first book, The Butchering Art; Joseph Lister’s Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine, for review, I found myself unable to break away from it and completed the entire work well after midnight following a single sitting. Such is the power of Dr. Fitzharris’ narrative abilities.
She has now written a second book, The Facemaker; A Visionary Surgeon’s Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I, that is scheduled for publication in early June. Having now received an advance copy for review, I once again found that my ability to break away was overpowered by Dr. Fitzharris’ combination of remarkable research and writing skills, and the entire reading was completed in a single day.
I am presently assembling my thoughts about the book into a full-length review, which you may expect to see published here within a fortnight.
