Bodysnatchers to lifesavers - Tara Womersley

This book provides an illustrated history of medicine in Edinburgh in an accessible style for the general reader. Centered on the 280 year history of Edinburgh Medical School, the book showcases famous Edinburgh medical alumni through the ages including Robert Knox and others like Charles Darwin and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who studied medicine in Edinburgh but went on to make their names in other fields. The book follows the evolution of medical practice through the ages, from the dark practices of the 19th century to Dolly, the first cloned sheep in the 21st century. It highlights the key advances made by Edinburgh medics in public health, anesthesia, surgery, antiseptics and antibiotics. Edinburgh Medical School was the first to admit women, and we follow their struggles, headed by the formidable Sophia Jex-Blake.