This passionately written book (The Invention of Surgery by David Schneider) describes the giant strides medicine has made since its primitive beginnings. The broad outline of the story is familiar to most of us in a fragmented way; David Schneider provides an overarching historical review but also fleshes out the picture with telling details. Imagine the practice of medicine, say, 150 years ago, with little or no knowledge of the importance of a sterile environment, no anes