Customer Reviews
A Wonderful Read - By: Ibrahim Ali, 08 Jun 2008 
This is an excellent biography of John Hunter, one of the most famous surgeons to ever have lived. The author is an expert writer & whilst it can be a cliché to speak of history reading like fiction that certainly is the casein this book. We map the progress of his life & the discoveries he makes within the field of medicine & science. Most of the science is wonderfully explained so that even most lay reader will be able to appreciate the discoveries. The sinister side is not left out either, whilst Hunter may have been a medical genius it is certain that he engagedin less praiseworthy activities such as robbing bodies from graves. Hunter's personal details are given here also, we see his upbringing, his marriage & his feuds with his brother. We see also of his successes, the pupils he inspired include Edward Jenner who developed the smallpox inoculation, Abernethy who founded the medical school at Bart's & Blizzard who founded one on the Royal London. But it wasn't only doctors that became Hunter's pupil, both Adam Smith & Edward Gibbon were pupils of his anatomy school. This is an extraordinary story of an extraordinary man whose legacy is still with us today.
A Truly Brilliant Biography - By: Wildlife Bookworm, 15 Aug 2007 As far as biography's go, The Knife Mans is probably the best I have ever read. Although the brilliance of the book is significantly aided by its extraordinary subject matter, Wendy Moores fluid, informal writing style & indefatigable research make this one of the most entertaining, eloquent, informative & above all readable non-fiction booksin publication.
Progressing with infinite detail worthy of the man himself the book follows the life of John Hunter from his impoverished birthin Scotland through his many achievementsin London & finally to his deathin 1793. Throughout Moores gives both detailed accounts of all his work as well as fascinating anecdotes concerning other famous figures connected with the hunters such as Samuel Johnson, Edward Jenner & Benjamin Franklin to name but three. She also quotes many contemporary sources while resisting the temptation to cite long & unnecessary paragraphs.
The books only floor is the slightly 'saint-like' picture of Hunter that Moore portrays. Although she is not afraid to confront the darker issues of his life, she seems to do so only so that she can jump to his defence. A staunch disciple, she condemns anyone who dares say a word against Hunter as either ignorant or jealous despite there being several occasions when he clearly acted immorally.
However this is a small price to pay for such a terrific account of Georgian surgery & society, & particularly of the remarkable life of John Hunter. As long as you take his 'golden-boy' image with a slight pinch of salt you will be enthralled by this book. I wait expectantly for Wendy Moores next literary venture!
Fascinating Book - By: Akmar, 05 Dec 2006 The Hunter brothers are a complete breed of their own. It amazes me to see how far we have progressed onin both science & medicine. Certainly, ethical issues were raised then but played less than a major role then compared to now!
Wendy Moore has written a brilliant book which has been very well researched. I am very impressed with the way she has written the book. She has manage to take you through the 17th century explaining what the present society is like, what the Hunter brothers achieved, done & given to the world, the elite medical society & the customers it serves. It explains very well the many significant symbols & discoveriesin modern medicine & how science & medicine (or the medical professionals) will do anything bothin quest of knowledge & to achieve name & glory. The book is not dull at all as it takes you through to the life of John Hunter during his childhood, his adolescent & adulthood. She also involves those surrounding him & explains each of their role, to whom their life is related to him or stood independently. She talks about the squabbles & the disagreement between members of the medical professionals & the competitiveness felt between them during that era.
It is not for the faint-hearted as there are descriptions of body parts (described brilliantly - it makes your stomach churned!) & how they are dismembered & obtained,in the name of science.
I do recommend this book. A visit to the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University should be followed up upon completion of this book to give a better appreciation of the things described. There is an original copy of the Gravid Uterus based I think at Glasgow University Library. Certainly you can still see the plaster casts of the stagesin pregnancy at the Anatomy Museum based also at Glasgow University.
A Brilliant and Detailed Biography of the British Vesalius - By: Joan H. Hammond, 06 Jun 2006 When John Hunter was bornin 1728, medicine & surgery was stillin a dark age riven with ancient beliefs, an unwillingness to accept proven discoveries & an even great unwillingness to change.
John Hunter, by sheer hard work & dedication opened up the human body as no surgeon or anatomist had done for over 150 years, & people looked, listened & many learned. His influence on his students would see great namesin surgery such as John Abernethy & Percival Pott, who,in their own right, took Hunter's teaching & practice into the operating theatres of Britain. This was the beginning of a new dawn for surgery, anatomy & science.
Wendy Moore has created a masterpiece for historians of medicine & science, as this book has been sourced from many primary sources, which she has brought together to provide a readable, if somewhat gruesome account of John Hunter, who by all accounts has to be the British Vesalius.
Although books on the history of medicine come & go, Knife Man will be up there with the front runners. This book will be an excellent & informative read for students of the history of medicine, doctors, surgeons & those with a fascination for the medical past. It is very reasonably priced & deserves every one of the five stars I have awarded.
Blood and brilliance - By: , 06 Apr 2006 This book describes the adventures of a man who injected himself with syphillis, was a major exponent of the art of bodysnatching, was famed & feared for his experiments on live an dead creatures, who transplated teeth & who debunked many of the classical theories on medicine. In short the book, even for a non-scientist like myself, is fascinating with its insights into Georgian society & the wayin which it charts the emergerence of John Hunter as one of the founders of modern science. An outstanding read.
