Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz

Watch out Erik Larson, you've got some serious competition in Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz. I thoroughly enjoyed her new book, Dr. Mütter's Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine, an excellent example of narrative non-fiction.

lthough well-known in his time, I had never heard of Dr Mütter before reading this book. Aptowicz's story, however, made him jump off the pages. She followed the familiar pattern of short chapters with punchy endings that make you show more want to jump to the next chapter as quickly as possible. While many others have tried this formula and can make it seem tiring, Aptowicz really nailed it. The cliffhangers never seemed contrived and really did move the story along.

I'm not sure I would characterize this story as one of "intrigue," but "innovation" definitely! And though mentioned briefly at the beginning, the "Marvels" of the title aren't really discussed until the end, but I enjoyed Aptowicz's narrative in her acknowledgements as she described how she learned about Mütter and his marvels. Now I think I'd like to see them, too--and that's how you know you've found a really good author. I'm looking forward to more, Ms Aptowicz! show less

Well, after reading this I gotta see the The Mütter Museum in Philadelphia to see the medical oddities curated there from this amazingly innovative doctor's collection. The book's horrifying tales of thigh-high antebellum leg amputations sans anesthesia with special helpers tasked to hold down each other of the patient-victim's limbs make me glad to be alive in these "modern" times. The onset of sterile conditions for surgical procedures dawns in this man's career with his own concern for show more cleanliness apparently as much a symptom of OCD-like fastidiousness on his part than true scientific/medical knowledge. And to think accepting the even crude and unreliable anesthesia techniques (ether, laughing gas, laudanum, etc.) was decried by people like Charles D. Meigs, an influential obstetrician who loathed Mütter’s "overly" modern medical opinions and felt a painful childbirth was a Biblical requirement. show less

I've been to Dr. Mutter's museum and I enjoyed it, so I expected that this book would just be a pleasant biography of an interesting man. I was very surprised, however, when the story turned out to be so much more than that. Collecting weird medical specimens was possibly the least interesting thing about Dr. Mutter. He was involved with all the great minds of the time, and was at the forefront of medical technology. He had an interesting (and sad) childhood, and actually grew up near where show more I live. He was involved with all the great minds of the mid-1800s, at the forefront of medical technology, and deeply entrenched in medical community politics. He experimented with lots of new medical and educational techniques and focused especially on helping those who were most in need. It is truly a shame that Dr. Mutter is not routinely taught in schools, because reading about him taught me so much more about medicine and the history of the time. The Mutter Museum might be weird and fascinating, but it's the mere shadow of an even more fascinating life that ended too soon.

The writing and references in the book are fantastic. Much of the history I had never heard of before. I enjoyed it so much that I promptly bought a hardback copy for myself and a few for some friends, who really loved it as well. I can't recommend this book enough! show less

I was somewhat familiar with Dr. Thomas Mütter, the famed 19th century Professor of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, whose personal collection and funding led to the creation of The Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, which is my favorite museum of medical history. However, after reading Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz's fascinating and compulsively readable biography of Mütter I realized how little I knew about him, and how influential he was to the show more development of modern surgery, the advancement of medicine as a science, and the reformation of medical education in Philadelphia and the United States.

Thomas Dent Mutter (1811-1859) was born to a mother from an established Virginia family and a father who was a hard working first generation Scottish immigrant. Although the Mutters were happy and modestly successful at the time of Thom's birth the family of four was quickly struck down by illness, and by 1818 he was an orphan with no surviving close relatives. Fortune did shine on young Thomas, as he was soon adopted by Robert Wormelely Carter, a wealthy Virginia landowner who was a distant cousin of his mother. Carter supported Thomas's educational endeavors, and after he realized that medicine was his calling he graduated from the medical school at the University of Pennsylvania at the age of 20.

After graduation Mutter (who changed his name to Mütter, in keeping with his flamboyant lifestyle and dress) sailed to Paris, where he learned the latest surgical techniques under the leading practitioners there, including the legendary Guillaume Dupuytren. He returned to Philadelphia, but he was unable to establish a successful practice as a general surgeon despite his clinical skill and growing reputation in the city's medical community. Mütter began teaching at the Medical Institute in Philadelphia, and soon afterward he joined the faculty at the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia's second medical college after the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. There he quickly became a revered instructor who was noted for his active engagement of his students during his lectures, along with his skill in the operating theater and the compassion he showed to his patients before and especially during surgery, at a time when anesthesia was limited to wine and other spirits.

Mütter was closely linked to several advancements and innovations in 19th century surgery and medicine, including the use of a patient's own skin to form surgical grafts; the utilization of ether as an effective anesthetic agent during surgery; the adoption of antiseptic techniques to reduce the likelihood of postoperative infections and puerperal (childbed) fever; and the creation of postoperative hospital wards, where patients would be closely and compassionately cared for under his watchful eye.

Sadly, Mütter suffered from ill health throughout his life, which curtailed his brilliant career as a surgeon and teacher. Fortunately he ensured his legacy with the creation of the Mütter Museum, which opened in 1863 and moved to its current location on 22nd Street between Market and Chestnut Streets in Center City Philadelphia in 1909. The museum is open to the general public seven days per week.

Aptowicz does a superb job in her portrayal of Mütter, as her interest in and enthusiasm for the surgeon shines on every page. The book is written for a general audience, and it is filled with rich detail about the history of early and mid 19th century medicine, medical education and surgery. Dr. Mütter's Marvels is a captivating study of one of the most interesting and influential physicians in American history, and I cannot recommend this book highly enough. show less