{"product_id":"9780060933173","title":"Ether Day : The Strange Tale of America's Greatest Medical Discovery and the Haunted Men Who Made It","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eEther Day\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): J.M. Fenster\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA fascinating and entertaining look at the men behind the first surgical use of anesthesia—and the price they paid for their breakthrough.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOn Friday, October 16, 1846, only one operation was scheduled at Massachusetts General Hospital....\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat day in Boston, the operation was the routine removal of a growth from a man's neck. But one thing would not be routine: instead of using pulleys, hooks, and belts to subdue a patient writhing in pain, this crucial operation would be the first performed under a general anesthetic. No one knew whether the secret concoction would work. Some even feared it might kill the patient.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis engrossing book chronicles what happened that day and during its dramatic aftermath. In a vivid history that is stranger than fiction, \u003cem\u003eEther Day\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of the three men who converged to invent the first anesthesia—and the war of ego and greed that soon sent all three men spiraling wildly out of control.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\"A fascinating chronicle of jealousy, greed, chicanery, and outright fraud, sometimes darkly funny, sometimes appalling.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"The personal side heroic, comic, and tragic—of the early history of anesthesia has never been more vividly recreated than in Julie Fenster's well researched and crisply written book.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"A riveting saga.... This is non-fiction story telling at its absolute finest.\"\u003cbr\u003e\"A steady and witty guide to the fascinating charges and frustrations that grew out of \u003cem\u003eEther Day\u003c\/em\u003e.\"\u003cbr\u003e“It would not be inappropriate to compare anesthesia history to a Shakespearean play. Here we have all the ingredients: tragedy, comedy, farce, a well-drawn set of characters, and intricate subplots. All this and more can be found in \u003cem\u003eEther Day\u003c\/em\u003e.”\u003cbr\u003e“The cast of characters here is a rich one. . . . A thoroughly compelling account, well told and well situated in its larger context.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9780060933173\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":41019336491214,"sku":"9780060933173","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/9780060933173.jpg?v=1647483482","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9780060933173","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}