Invasion of the Body

Nicholas L. Tilney

Published by Harvard University Press 2011

Invasion of the Body

Revolutions in Surgery

Nicholas L. Tilney

https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674063273

Overview
Contents

About this book

In 1913, the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston admitted its first patient, Mary Agnes Turner, who suffered from varicose veins in her legs. The surgical treatment she received, under ether anesthesia, was the most advanced available at the time. At the same hospital fifty years later, Nicholas Tilney—then a second-year resident—assisted in the repair of a large aortic aneurysm. The cutting-edge diagnostic tools he used to evaluate the patient’s condition would soon be eclipsed by yet more sophisticated apparatus, including minimally invasive approaches and state-of-the-art imaging technology, which Tilney would draw on in pioneering organ transplant surgery and becoming one of its most distinguished practitioners.

In Invasion of the Body, Tilney tells the story of modern surgery and the revolutions that have transformed the field: anesthesia, prevention of infection, professional standards of competency, pharmaceutical advances, and the present turmoil in medical education and health care reform. Tilney uses as his stage the famous Boston teaching hospital where he completed his residency and went on to practice (now called Brigham and Women's). His cast of characters includes clinicians, support staff, trainees, patients, families, and various applied scientists who push the revolutions forward.

While lauding the innovations that have brought surgeons' capabilities to heights undreamed of even a few decades ago, Tilney also previews a challenging future, as new capacities to prolong life and restore health run headlong into unsustainable costs. The authoritative voice he brings to the ancient tradition of surgical invasion will be welcomed by patients, practitioners, and policymakers alike.

Author information

Tilney Nicholas L. :

Nicholas L. Tilney holds the posts of Honorary Surgeon, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, and Francis D. Moore Distinguished Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School.

Topics

Frontmatter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	vii
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Three Operations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	7
2. The Teaching Hospital Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	35
3. Evolution of a Profession Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	52
4. Steps Forward and Steps Backward Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	75
5. War and Peace Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	97
6. The Promise of Surgical Research Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	128
7. Operations on the Heart Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	153
8. The Mechanical Heart Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	186
9. The Transfer of Organs Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	213
10. Making a Surgeon, Then and Now Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	240
11. Shifting Foundations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	267
12. Unsolved Challenges Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	295
NOTES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	325
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	345
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	347

Language: English
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 384
Illustrations
- Other: 33 halftones

eBook

Published: December 1, 2011
ISBN: 9780674063273