In the mid-nineteenth century, Joseph Lister introduced the revolutionary principle of antiseptic surgery. Inspired by Pasteur's discovery of germs, he was the first surgeon to fight the invisible killers. He learned how to control the terrors of gangrene, pyaemia and erysipelas, and brought about dramatic decreases in post-operative fatality.

Born in England, Lister studied surgery at London College Hospital. In those days surgeons were considered little better than butchers; they were not even allowed the title of "doctor." Lister was not personally ambitious—he wanted only to save lives and ease pain. Deeply sensitive, the pain of his patients affected him cruelly, and hospital conditions shocked him. When he witnessed the first successful experiment with ether, he knew that pain could be conquered—and he would help conquer it.

Thus began years of probing, plodding, dedicated research. Lister moved to Edinburgh and won fame as a great surgeon. Fired by the germ theory of Pasteur, he realized that the gangrene-infected tissue he studied under his microscope was alive with germs. His problem was to prevent them from attacking open wounds or entering the cut of a surgeon's knife. He tried carbolic acid with sensational success, but his work was criticized by other surgeons. His tests on animals and doomed humans were considered barbaric, yet he worked miracles of healing. When Lister was summoned to attend Queen Victoria, a routine operation became a sudden, desperate experiment...

Joseph Lister's life is a scientific suspense story as well as a romantic idyll. His wife, who might have been a doctor had she not been a woman, helped with experiments far into the night and served as his secretary and recorder. She brought gayety and warmth into a life filled with horror and controversy.

Iris Noble again proves her skill as a biographer, and recreates a period in medical history that produced giants among men.

From the dust jacket