Spare Parts

'Compelling' Christopher Hart, The Sunday Times'A fascinating book' Daily Mail_______________________________________________________________Why did eighteenth-century dentists buy the live teeth of poor children?How did an architect help pioneer blood transfusion in the 1660s?And what role did a sausage skin and an enamel bath play in making kidney transplants a reality?We think of transplant surgery as one of the medical wonders of the modern world, but it's a lot older than you think. As ancient as the pyramids, its history is even more surprising. In Spare Parts, cultural historian Paul Craddock takes us on a fascinating journey, from Indian surgeons regrafting lost noses in the sixth century BC, to seventeenth century blood transfusions between humans and dogs, to the French seamstress whose needlework paved the way for kidney transplants in the early 1900s.Expertly weaving together philosophy, science and cultural history, Spare Parts explores how transplant surgery has constantly tested the boundaries between human, animal and machine. It shows us that the history -- and future -- of transplant surgery is tied up with questions not only about who we are, but also what we are, and what we might become.Witty, entertaining and at times delightfully macabre, Spare Parts shows us that the history -- and future -- of transplant surgery is tied up with questions about not only who we are, but also what we are, and what we might become. . ._______________________________________________________________'Spare Parts is a fascinating read filled with adventure, delight and surprise' RAHUL JANDIAL, surgeon author of Life on a Knife's Edge'This is a joyful romp through a fascinating slice of medical history' WENDY MOORE, author of The Knife Man