Dr. Mutter's Marvels

A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine

By: Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz

Narrated by: Erik Singer

Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

A mesmerizing biography of the brilliant and eccentric medical innovator who revolutionized American surgery and founded the country's most famous museum of medical oddities

Imagine undergoing an operation without anesthesia performed by a surgeon who refuses to sterilize his tools - or even wash his hands. This was the world of medicine when Thomas Dent Mütter began his trailblazing career as a plastic surgeon in Philadelphia during the middle of the 19th century.

Although he died at just 48, Mütter was an audacious medical innovator who pioneered the use of ether as anesthesia, the sterilization of surgical tools, and a compassion-based vision for helping the severely deformed, which clashed spectacularly with the sentiments of his time.

Brilliant, outspoken, and brazenly handsome, Mütter was flamboyant in every aspect of his life. He wore pink silk suits to perform surgery, added an umlaut to his last name just because he could, and amassed an immense collection of medical oddities that would later form the basis of Philadelphia's Mütter Museum.

Award-winning writer Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz vividly chronicles how Mütter's efforts helped establish Philadelphia as a global mecca for medical innovation - despite intense resistance from his numerous rivals. (Foremost among them: Charles D. Meigs, an influential obstetrician who loathed Mütter's "overly" modern medical opinions.) In the narrative spirit of The Devil in the White City, Dr. Mütter's Marvels interweaves an eye-opening portrait of 19th-century medicine with the riveting biography of a man once described as the "P. T. Barnum of the surgery room".

©2014 Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz (P)2014 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

A best Book of 2014
Amazon.com
The Onion’s AV Club
The Guardian
Library Journal
School Library
Journalio9.com
Science Friday

"Ms. Aptowicz rescues Mütter the man from undeserved obscurity, recreating his short life and hard times with wit, energy and gusto. Her book, like the Mütter Museum, is a reminder that the course of human suffering and the progress of medical science are often messy, complex and stranger than can be imagined." (Wall Street Journal)

"[Aptowicz’s] passion for the topic is what makes this book ultimately fascinating.... The research is meticulous, and the author recounts Mütter’s life with flair. It’s a fantastic yarn...a compelling tale." (Austin American Statesmen)

FASNATING LOOK IN TO MEDICAL HISTORY

If you could sum up Dr. Mutter's Marvels in three words, what would they be?

perseverance

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dr. Mutter's Marvels?

the use of ether

Have you listened to any of Erik Singer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

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If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Dr. Mutter

Any additional comments?

This is the book for anyone who enjoys reading about medical history, the history that has brought us to this point in history

What a fabulous story of an amazing surgeon!

loved it! a fabulous story of the origins of modern surgical technique and compassionate care of patients.

Start to Finnish interesting!

Great narrator and a great listen. Something that can be listening to through tour the day and you get to learn new things about how docotor she did things back in the day

Wonderfully odd and grim

Wonderfully written and full of interesting information, if you’re a true crime fan looking for something a little less dreary this works perfectly ! Gave me the dark feel I enjoyed without the murdered children. Not to mention the lives mentioned in this novel are all interesting and wealthy in entertainment in their own right.

Medical history in an interesting narrative

A true story of the fathers of modern medicine in the US and the many medical innovations that are still in place today, or changed the course of medicine. I can't wait to go to the museum next time we go to Philly.

epic

amazing!! brilliantly researched and written. performed perfectly. I will definitely be revisiting this in the future for another listen.

Interesting and poignant

I loved this audio book. I learned some much medical history, not the boring stuff but actually interesting things. I always wondered what kind of person was Mutter and this book told me so much more about the person and his legacy.

Excellent!

I have to Mutter's Museum before I know his story. This is a wonderful book that shows us a glimpse of what life was like BEFORE modern medicine.

Great listening

Very intriguing and eye opening tales of a physician whose name should be more widely known. Our country owes a real debt to Dr. Mutter.
This is the first audio that I've heard narrated by Erik Singer and he's excellent, lovely pitch and enunciation, and he's great at relaying emotional subtext.

Beautiful biography, excellent narration

Riveting story with plenty of detail and historical context. I loved this biography and highly recommend it if you are interested in learning about medical history.