The Icepick Surgeon
- Downloads：7866
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-09 07:51:35
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Sam Kean
- ISBN：0316496502
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Murder， Fraud， Sabotage， Piracy， and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science
From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes the gripping， untold history of science's darkest secrets， “a fascinating book [that] deserves a wide audience” （Publishers Weekly， starred review）
Science is a force for good in the world—at least usually。 But sometimes， when obsession gets the better of scientists， they twist a noble pursuit into something sinister。 Under this spell， knowledge isn’t everything， it’s the only thing—no matter the cost。 Bestselling author Sam Kean tells the true story of what happens when unfettered ambition pushes otherwise rational men and women to cross the line in the name of science， trampling ethical boundaries and often committing crimes in the process。
The Icepick Surgeon masterfully guides the reader across two thousand years of history， beginning with Cleopatra’s dark deeds in ancient Egypt。 The book reveals the origins of much of modern science in the transatlantic slave trade of the 1700s， as well as Thomas Edison’s mercenary support of the electric chair and the warped logic of the spies who infiltrated the Manhattan Project。 But the sins of science aren’t all safely buried in the past。 Many of them， Kean reminds us， still affect us today。 We can draw direct lines from the medical abuses of Tuskegee and Nazi Germany to current vaccine hesitancy， and connect icepick lobotomies from the 1950s to the contemporary failings of mental-health care。 Kean even takes us into the future， when advanced computers and genetic engineering could unleash whole new ways to do one another wrong。
Unflinching， and exhilarating to the last page， The Icepick Surgeon fuses the drama of scientific discovery with the illicit thrill of a true-crime tale。 With his trademark wit and precision， Kean shows that， while science has done more good than harm in the world， rogue scientists do exist， and when we sacrifice morals for progress， we often end up with neither。
From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes the gripping， untold history of science's darkest secrets， “a fascinating book [that] deserves a wide audience” （Publishers Weekly， starred review）
Science is a force for good in the world—at least usually。 But sometimes， when obsession gets the better of scientists， they twist a noble pursuit into something sinister。 Under this spell， knowledge isn’t everything， it’s the only thing—no matter the cost。 Bestselling author Sam Kean tells the true story of what happens when unfettered ambition pushes otherwise rational men and women to cross the line in the name of science， trampling ethical boundaries and often committing crimes in the process。
The Icepick Surgeon masterfully guides the reader across two thousand years of history， beginning with Cleopatra’s dark deeds in ancient Egypt。 The book reveals the origins of much of modern science in the transatlantic slave trade of the 1700s， as well as Thomas Edison’s mercenary support of the electric chair and the warped logic of the spies who infiltrated the Manhattan Project。 But the sins of science aren’t all safely buried in the past。 Many of them， Kean reminds us， still affect us today。 We can draw direct lines from the medical abuses of Tuskegee and Nazi Germany to current vaccine hesitancy， and connect icepick lobotomies from the 1950s to the contemporary failings of mental-health care。 Kean even takes us into the future， when advanced computers and genetic engineering could unleash whole new ways to do one another wrong。
Unflinching， and exhilarating to the last page， The Icepick Surgeon fuses the drama of scientific discovery with the illicit thrill of a true-crime tale。 With his trademark wit and precision， Kean shows that， while science has done more good than harm in the world， rogue scientists do exist， and when we sacrifice morals for progress， we often end up with neither。
Reviews
Daniel
，
The book was good， my reason for not giving it a higher score was that most of those stories， although good， are already well known。 It was still a good read， although at times I found that I was unsure of the authors stance on the criminals because it sounded， to me anyway， that excuses were being made in favor of them。
Stephanie Moore
，
This is a collection of non fiction essays about some of histories scientific criminals。 I greatly enjoyed this and would recommend the audio book。
Justice Simanek
，
Every chapter of this book was interesting， but I didn’t see the through-line that tied them all together。 Some chapters really didn’t have much to do with science or even ethics。 I also thought the author could have handled some of the topics with much more grace。 For instance， his depictions of mental health really disappointed me。 Specifically his discussions around asylums placed the blame of patients’ poor mental health on themselves and none on the state of the asylum and the truly disgust Every chapter of this book was interesting， but I didn’t see the through-line that tied them all together。 Some chapters really didn’t have much to do with science or even ethics。 I also thought the author could have handled some of the topics with much more grace。 For instance， his depictions of mental health really disappointed me。 Specifically his discussions around asylums placed the blame of patients’ poor mental health on themselves and none on the state of the asylum and the truly disgusting ways asylums were run。 Overall， it seems like the author felt he had enough research from his podcasts to make a book and he jammed it all in wherever it could fit。 。。。more
Bob
，
A collection of fascinating stories of ambitious scientists who have crossed ethical lines。 We meet naturalists who become complicit in the slave trade， Thomas Edison who performed cruel experiments on animals during his battle with Tesla on the merits of DC vs AC transmission， the titular doctor who championed lobotomies even after the introduction of anti-psychotic drugs， the scientists who continued the Tuskegee experiments on the long term effects of syphilis even after antibiotics became av A collection of fascinating stories of ambitious scientists who have crossed ethical lines。 We meet naturalists who become complicit in the slave trade， Thomas Edison who performed cruel experiments on animals during his battle with Tesla on the merits of DC vs AC transmission， the titular doctor who championed lobotomies even after the introduction of anti-psychotic drugs， the scientists who continued the Tuskegee experiments on the long term effects of syphilis even after antibiotics became available to cure their subjects， and a rogue forensic scientist who knowingly submitted false analyses of suspected drugs in order to earn the admiration of police and peers。 。。。more
S H U L O N I E
，
Very informative。
Edward Canade
，
Sam Kean writes so well。 I have read nearly every book he has written and have enjoyed every one of them。 In his latest offering， each chapter could be read independently with the common thread that each chapter portrayed a scientist who crossed into the dark side of life。 In the end， Sam Kean also cautions the reader to avoid being judgmental。 He says， “… If we’re honest with ourselves， any one of us might have fallen into similar traps。 Maybe not in the specific cases above， and maybe not as e Sam Kean writes so well。 I have read nearly every book he has written and have enjoyed every one of them。 In his latest offering， each chapter could be read independently with the common thread that each chapter portrayed a scientist who crossed into the dark side of life。 In the end， Sam Kean also cautions the reader to avoid being judgmental。 He says， “… If we’re honest with ourselves， any one of us might have fallen into similar traps。 Maybe not in the specific cases above， and maybe not as egregiously。 But somewhere， in some way， we too might have done something unethical。 Honestly admitting this is the best vigilance we have。 As Carl Jung said， an evil person lurks inside all of us， and only if we recognize that fact can we hope to tame them。“ 。。。more
Tim
，
This is an easy to read， well researched partial history of malpractice and unethical science。 It is thought provoking and raises some good questions about the way we look at science and medicine in our society。 It is important to remember that the author is not a scientist or doctor， but and experienced writer （science writer）。 Some things in the book make road assumptions， and there is no shortage of opinion sprinkled throughout 。 Overall it is well written， researched， and has a logical flow。 This is an easy to read， well researched partial history of malpractice and unethical science。 It is thought provoking and raises some good questions about the way we look at science and medicine in our society。 It is important to remember that the author is not a scientist or doctor， but and experienced writer （science writer）。 Some things in the book make road assumptions， and there is no shortage of opinion sprinkled throughout 。 Overall it is well written， researched， and has a logical flow。 There are shameless plugs throughout the book about his podcast and other works， but they are easy to over look。 。。。more
Maggie
，
A riveting series of events regaled in such a way that this book begs to be devoured。 An absolute must read for every budding medical student， Biologist， anthropologist， and scientifically minded individual。 Kean does a fantastic job tactfully and effectively shining a light on the white and male privilege that has dominated the fields of science for centuries， highlighting the pain and suffering of those whose contribution to different fields of study was bodily forced from them。 He encourages A riveting series of events regaled in such a way that this book begs to be devoured。 An absolute must read for every budding medical student， Biologist， anthropologist， and scientifically minded individual。 Kean does a fantastic job tactfully and effectively shining a light on the white and male privilege that has dominated the fields of science for centuries， highlighting the pain and suffering of those whose contribution to different fields of study was bodily forced from them。 He encourages thoughtful discourse on how the modern scientist should handle taboo and extremely complex facets of scientific advancement。 This book reminds it's readers that no person or field of study should ever be above reproach， to always advocate for those being abused my systemic racism and sexism， and to anticipate how each and every one of us may aid in the development of our scientific future。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
Really interesting collection of stories and bits of history。 Sam Kean hosts a podcast on science and history and his book's chapters are very much like podcast episodes。 If you're an animal lover like me， skip the first couple pages of chapter 5。 This chapter focuses on electricity （very interesting） and animal abuse （literally no one decent's cup of tea）。 While the Edison/Tesla & Westinghouse feud is super intriguing， squeamish readers may need to skim through some parts - like the first use o Really interesting collection of stories and bits of history。 Sam Kean hosts a podcast on science and history and his book's chapters are very much like podcast episodes。 If you're an animal lover like me， skip the first couple pages of chapter 5。 This chapter focuses on electricity （very interesting） and animal abuse （literally no one decent's cup of tea）。 While the Edison/Tesla & Westinghouse feud is super intriguing， squeamish readers may need to skim through some parts - like the first use of the electric chair and anytime you see the word "dog" on the page。“Overall， this book fuses the drama of scientific discovery with the illicit thrill of true-crime tales。 The stories range from the dawn of science in the 1600s to the high-tech felonies of tomorrow， and they cover all corners of the globe。” 。。。more
Riccardo Lo Monaco
，
I’m now a Sam Kean fan。 Looking forward to the podcast。 Really really Enjoyed this book。 But I’m a history major who thinks science is cool… so it’s my niche。
Anjana
，
The author of this book has a podcast; this is something that is iterated at multiple sections of the book。 It felt odd to interrupt plotlines to redirect attention to a podcast， so it stuck with me this long after having listened to the book。 I think his research probably has the capacity to become more books like this one。Although I had varying reactions to the number of times the author's podcast came up， the overall experience of listening to the book was fascinating。 I am a fan of the rando The author of this book has a podcast; this is something that is iterated at multiple sections of the book。 It felt odd to interrupt plotlines to redirect attention to a podcast， so it stuck with me this long after having listened to the book。 I think his research probably has the capacity to become more books like this one。Although I had varying reactions to the number of times the author's podcast came up， the overall experience of listening to the book was fascinating。 I am a fan of the random factoids and facts that provide a very detailed picture of a time and place that I would otherwise never have investigated or known anything about。 There is a lot that is tackled here with each individual focus。 The malpractices of science are different with changing times and morals of the people living and what they consider appropriate or even legal。 However， the running theme is that for almost every great scientific achievement， the foundation is probably darker。The author tackles everything from slavery to murder。 He goes into the complexities of how modern scientists could （if it is even possible） acknowledge the murky beginnings while continuing to use the discoveries for good。There is a lot of data here， but each large individual chapter focuses on one central character， although other interesting stories are examined at times。 I cannot talk of individual chapters that caught my fancy because it has been a while since I listened to it all， but I must say that if I had the time， I would not mind listening to it all again and maybe do a little digging of my own the next time。 I also think that the audio medium was well suited to go through the book。 The narrator did a brilliant job of bringing the author's words to life。I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers， but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience。 。。。more
Heather
，
I really enjoyed this book。 It was morbid and funny and caused me to cringe quite a few times （but in a morbidly fascinated way）。 It raises some very interesting questions about what is scientifically moral and the lengths to which scientists have gone in order to progress their work。 Science history buffs will love this。。。 or really anyone interested in morbid science。
Mary
，
super interesting topic and awesome writing style。 felt like a friend was telling me a story
Krisette Spangler
，
Wow， this had some hair raising stories。 I couldn't believe some of the things that have been done in the name of science。 It was interesting to read all of the stories， and I found the author's writing style to be engaging and sometimes humorous。 Wow， this had some hair raising stories。 I couldn't believe some of the things that have been done in the name of science。 It was interesting to read all of the stories， and I found the author's writing style to be engaging and sometimes humorous。 。。。more
Jan Stone
，
Fascinating， but a bit grizzly in some chapters。 Not for the squeamish。
Arianne Nikko
，
This book is literally so interesting， you'd always want to read the next page。 I also learned A LOT of things， like a lot。 The stories legit made me get out of my chair， lie on my bed， and contemplate about things。 Also， the author interacts with readers on Twitter！！！ So fun and kind！ This book is literally so interesting， you'd always want to read the next page。 I also learned A LOT of things， like a lot。 The stories legit made me get out of my chair， lie on my bed， and contemplate about things。 Also， the author interacts with readers on Twitter！！！ So fun and kind！ 。。。more
Reading Cat
，
Honestly， not his best book。 As usual， he does have a keen eye （no pun intended on his surname） for finding the great little bits of history and a vivid way of bringing them to life for the reader， in making the characters quite real and believable。 And of course， you learn things。 For example， I did not know that the notorious Tuskegee experiment did NOT actually infect the men with syphilis。 What it did， and what Kean argues is more chilling， is to continue far after there was an absolute cure Honestly， not his best book。 As usual， he does have a keen eye （no pun intended on his surname） for finding the great little bits of history and a vivid way of bringing them to life for the reader， in making the characters quite real and believable。 And of course， you learn things。 For example， I did not know that the notorious Tuskegee experiment did NOT actually infect the men with syphilis。 What it did， and what Kean argues is more chilling， is to continue far after there was an absolute cure for syphilis （penicillin） that it was unconscionable not to administer， and end the experiment。 So it's gross， and horrifying， but not for the reasons the public （me） thought。 I'm curious about the public reception on the chapter about Money， who was， as Kean portrays him， a pretty gross， perverted person。 The chapter on Money certainly cuts the legs out from under part of the transgender debate， and I'm surprised he's not getting heat for it。 It is at once the most valuable and relevant chapter to read and he does a remarkable job not weighing in with anything other than facts， and the facts。。。should cause some serious rethinking on ALL sides of the debate。 The last chapter was the weakest--I don't know if he felt that in the interests of diversity and inclusin or whatever that he needed to include a BIPOC female to check the boxes but。。。Dookhan really doesn't seem to fit in with these other notorious cases。 She was awful， yes， but everyone else was a scientific innovator （or wanting to be one） and Dookhan was not。 Whether you chalk up her abhorrent 'science' as cop fetishizing or some immigrant impulse to over perform， it doesn't quite fit with the rest of the cases。 Even when you had others （Marsh and Cope， for example） fighting as outsiders to get status in the in group， they did it through innovation and discovery， not， you know， rank abdication of the very basics of their duties。 However， Kean's point from the Dookhan case--that things like that are a problem in how and when the general public might be dubious of science and scientists， who are all too fallible--is a good one。 He wrote this book during the pandemic and honestly， it's a bit disappointing he didn't consider in an appendix at least， how that very doubt has gone RAMPANT since the start of COVID 19。 I cannot imagine a better case for his arguments of 'sinful science' than the Wuhan Institute of Virology， gain of function research， mask debates， false-promise cures like remdesivir or ivermectin， etc。 Why do people listen to quacks and cranks about the pandemic？ Because the entire medical/scientific industry shit the bed and broke the trust。 As fascinating a read as this might be， it doesn't really offer any solution or hope or even seem to acknowledge the depth of the damage。 。。。more
Alyse Marie
，
Enjoyable read。 The book focuses on a lot of the more well-known unethical scientific blunders and experiments throughout history。
Heather
，
This book is fascinating and I can't wait to pick up more from this author This book is fascinating and I can't wait to pick up more from this author 。。。more
Tessy Consentino
，
Fascinating book。
Melissa
，
Read this in clinic between subjects - an ideal book for this since the chapters are all nicely divided up。 Kean is a good storyteller of science history and this book is basically "what happens when scientists go bad"。 Some of them were pretty awful to start with， some got on that slippery slope of "justifying their actions" and wind up being terrible/making terrible decisions。 CW for， well， it's about scientists throughout history going bad so there's racism， slavery/slave trading， bad ethics， Read this in clinic between subjects - an ideal book for this since the chapters are all nicely divided up。 Kean is a good storyteller of science history and this book is basically "what happens when scientists go bad"。 Some of them were pretty awful to start with， some got on that slippery slope of "justifying their actions" and wind up being terrible/making terrible decisions。 CW for， well， it's about scientists throughout history going bad so there's racism， slavery/slave trading， bad ethics， animal mistreatment， abuse of patients， somewhat graphic descriptions of surgical prodecures， etc。 。。。more
J。J。
，
3。5 I would have given it a 4 star but the author kept refering back to different podcast episodes， which I didn't realize this book was based on a podcast series， so perhaps that is my bad。 But the stories were interesting and horrific at the same time。 3。5 I would have given it a 4 star but the author kept refering back to different podcast episodes， which I didn't realize this book was based on a podcast series， so perhaps that is my bad。 But the stories were interesting and horrific at the same time。 。。。more
RG Hathway
，
A small dip into the excesses of some scientists who routinely break the law， create fraud， kill people and otherwise cause mayhem and havoc in society。
Lisa
，
Another fun amd wild read by Sam Kean！ Crazy stories of scientists gone wrong in their unending eagerness to do science。 Love what Sam Kean dug up about them！
Bob
，
Probably 3 and a half stars。 For the most part， a very enjoyable read about human stupidity in science。 At the end there was too much moralizing though。 He made his point through examples so he did not need to add。 And the appendix was a silly waste of paper。 And I did not like his regular advertising of his podcast。
Erikka
，
True crime AND Sam Kean？！ Sign me the hell up！！！ This was super interesting and incredibly readable。 I was familiar with several of the stories and yet still learned something new。 Now I just have to wait for the next Sam Kean book。
Renée L。
，
Fascinating and fun read。
Karen Shernit
，
Definitely not for everyone， and I can’t imagine anyone would be captivated by each story。 That said， I enjoyed the writing and once I got past pirates and into WWII and the Cold War， it was interesting and fun。
Kim
，
Audiobook- 3。75。
Sarah
，
3。5 stars"The Icepick Surgeon" was an interesting read， but I definitely expected more。 The cases that were discussed were fun to learn about， but I think the author could have talked about more impactful cases。 I also didn't like how often the author referred to his podcast。 3。5 stars"The Icepick Surgeon" was an interesting read， but I definitely expected more。 The cases that were discussed were fun to learn about， but I think the author could have talked about more impactful cases。 I also didn't like how often the author referred to his podcast。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Icepick Surgeon
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Icepick Surgeon&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Icepick Surgeon&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0