Jürgen Thorwald "Fragile House of the Soul".

Author: Jurgen Thorwald Genre: Nonfiction First edition: 1986 Medical topic: The origins of neurosurgery Description: Neurosurgery is undoubtedly a beautiful and extraordinarily interesting branch of medicine. The brain has always fascinated us, and the capabilities of twentieth-century medicine—and above all, the courage of the first neurosurgeons—finally made it possible to intervene not so much pharmacologically as purely physically in this most enigmatic organ of our body. The latest work by German writer, historian, and journalist Jürgen Thorwald offers us the opportunity to explore the origins and development of this medical discipline. The author vividly recounts the stories of pioneering neurosurgeons such as Victor Horsley, Harvey Cushing, and Wilder Penfield. The pages of the novel perfectly capture the fear and anxiety that accompanied the exploration of previously unknown paths in this fascinating field. The reader observes the doctors’ doubts, their courageous decisions, and their attempts to help patients who, until recently, were considered terminally ill. Risky open-brain surgeries, heroic endeavors, and—to put it simply—the account of the failures and successes associated with the first, extremely dangerous neurosurgical procedures make reading Thorwald’s novel, to put it mildly, thrilling.