About the book: 2019 / Bright light. The shine of surgical instruments. Uniform beeping sound from electrical appliances. A sympathetic doctor in gloves, a mask and a white coat... This is roughly how we all imagine a modern operating room, although this is how it became quite recently, having gone through a long and often bloody path of trial and error. With this book, Arnold van de Laar invites the reader on a fascinating journey through time. With him, you will learn how modern surgery developed, meet the most famous patients in world history, and observe the work of the most famous surgeons of their era - from Hippocrates to Harvey Cushing.