Tag: medicine

  • Off the Top of My Head by Barbara Lazio

    Well this was frickin’ delightful. Dr. Barbara Lazio provides a look into our heads (literally) with her hilarious and poignant Off the top of My Head. Yes, the title is an indicator of the overall tone. Lazio puts together a collection of essays about life, parenting, and, of course, brain surgery. I find that with…

  • The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Facemaker: The good doctor. Quick synopsis: The story of Dr. Harold Gillies, who pioneered face reconstruction of World War I casualties. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In World War I, over 280,000 soldiers from just Britain, Germany, and France suffered some form of facial trauma. Fun Fact for History…

  • Spare Parts by Paul Craddock

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Spare Parts: The “spare” part is very misleading. Generally, the owner still needed them. Quick synopsis: The history of transplants from the first skin grafts to the present day. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The first target of a transplant? The skin or specifically the nose. How? Oh, you just…

  • Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Destiny of the Republic: Sometimes you should just leave the bullet alone. Quick synopsis: The story of how President James Garfield came to power and then was assassinated. Also, how a bunch of doctors screwed up a lot. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Thomas Edison makes an appearance. Yeah, the…