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Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'
The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science by Sam Kean
33 reviews
reggiethebird's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt
shelbycundiff's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Body horror and Medical trauma
Moderate: Slavery, Suicide, and Medical content
lindapatin's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, and Medical trauma
betsygrace's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Medical content and Medical trauma
mfrisk's review against another edition
3.0
I note this because while I find the overall subject interesting and also important in terms of the fields of science, medicine, and fields which intersect with these areas I don’t feel like these stories were given the appropriate weight and critical lens. As many reviewers mention inappropriate terminology is used for a variety of marginalized populations within this book and I often felt the author was trying to get a laugh out of us (the readers) more than they were working to connect the story to their larger point of morality and ethics. The podcast plugs were annoying but not as egregious as the lack of depth certain stories were given when they covered very sensitive topics. It may not have hurt for their to be additional commentary from other folks especially in stories where marginalized populations were involved and that was only touched on a surface level. I’ve listened to the podcast as well after reading some stories in this book and it has similar issues seen in this book.
Also want to add this book could have used a more central defining element or at least narrowing down to specific field or some other way to make this more focused. It often was confusing that the stories felt so disconnected and the conclusion doesn’t quite pull together the ideas enough.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
constantreader16's review
4.0
Graphic: Medical trauma
monstersinspace's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
chloethonus's review against another edition
4.75
My only critique is some outdated language like calling Native Americans "Indians" and the prologue about Cleopatra being very clumsy. The prologue is made up of information that can't be proven which is a questionable start for this book. The language, however, bothers me more. Native Americans should be respected and referred to using proper terms that do not have to do with the entirely unrelated nation of Indian. Native American, indigenous peoples, tribe name, there are a lot of options.
Graphic: Slavery and Medical trauma
Moderate: Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, and Xenophobia
Minor: Misogyny
arijones91's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Medical content, and Medical trauma
phoebemurtagh's review against another edition
3.5
They some things shouldn't be attempted by the faint of heart or squeamish. As a squeamish person myself, I'd like to refine that: you can most certainly attempt, but you might need to skim through the physical descriptions of how to perform an ice pick lobotomy.
This was a good collection of scientists gone bad: some of the stories were disturbing and familiar ones I'd already heard, while some were disturbing and new. My only criticisms would be that while such a book must necessarily take a dark sense of humor, I found the author's attempts at levity in the face of evil just a little irreverent sometimes. More disappointingly, though, the author refers to bunk science as "voodoo" in at least one place; it's a small thing, but perpetuating a stereotype that African disaporic religious traditions that developed as a result of American slavery are somehow 'less valid' and the equivalent of bad science is below the mark for any journalist.
All in all, I preferred The Disappearing Spoon, but this is a good book, too.
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism