Starred review from November 12, 2007
Goldstone, an acclaimed popular historian (Out of the Flames
; The Friar and the Cipher
), marks out new terrain with his compelling fiction debut, a medical thriller set in 1889 Philadelphia. The narrator, Ephraim Carroll, a young, idealistic and somewhat naïve doctor, works alongside the real-life William Osler, often described as the father of modern medicine. Carroll is troubled when Osler, the head of clinical medicine at the University of Pennsylvania medical school, forgoes an autopsy of a woman without explanation. Carroll’s curiosity is further piqued after George Turk, a colleague who also seemed unsettled by Osler’s actions, dies, apparently of cholera. When Turk’s autopsy reveals trace amounts of arsenic, Carroll’s suspicions of foul play are confirmed. Goldstone artfully integrates a manuscript the actual Dr. Osler wrote and ordered sealed for half a century after his death. With this top-notch historical page-turner and his proven versatility in nonfiction, Goldstone can expect to win over many new fans.
December 15, 2007
This mystery-cum-medical-history brings to life the adage First, do no harm.Dr. Ephraim Carroll observes several controversial autopsies while studying under the great William Osler in late-nineteenth-century Philadelphia. When an open cooler reveals the next cadavera young womanOslers face goes ashen, and the class ends abruptly. Following this odd occurrence, Carroll visits an unsavory part of town and catches an enigmatic glimpse of an angry Osler in a bar. Carrolls suspicious nature leads him to make wild conjectures to explain these events and later developments; often, he is right. Goldstones plot is not particularly original; what makes his book so fascinating is the attention to the medical procedures and innovations of the time: rubber gloves, mosquito clamps, Dead House autopsies, and experiments with anesthesia in surgery. Famous doctors such as Osler and William Stewart Halsted are portrayed complete with their selfish motivations, addictions, and unethical behavior. Readers who enjoy Anne Perrys and Caleb Carrs psychological thrillers will welcome Goldstones brooding, paranoiac addition to the genre.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)