Synopses & Reviews
A shotgun misfires inside the American Fur Company store in Northern Michigan, and Alexis St. Martin's death appears imminent. It's 1822, and, as the leaders of Mackinac Island examine St. Martin's shot-riddled torso, they decide not to incur a single expense on behalf of the indentured fur trapper. They even go so far as to dismiss the attention of U.S. Army Assistant Surgeon William Beaumont, the frontier fort's only doctor.
Beaumont ignores the orders and saves the young man's life. What neither the doctor nor his patient understandsand#8212;yetand#8212;is that even as Beaumont's care of St. Martin continues for decades, the motives and merits of his attention are far from clear.
Rooted deeply in historic fact, Open Wound artfully fictionalizes the complex, lifelong relationship between Beaumont and his illiterate French Canadian patient. The young trapper's injury never completely heals, leaving a hole into his stomach that the curious doctor uses as a window to understand the mysteries of digestion. Eager to rise up from his humble origins and self-conscious that his medical training occurred as an apprentice to a rural physician rather than at an elite university, Beaumont seizes the opportunity to experiment upon his patient's stomach in order to write a book that he hopes will establish his legitimacy and secure his prosperity. As Jason Karlawish portrays him, Beaumont, always growing hungrier for more wealth and more prestige, personifies the best and worst aspects of American ambition and power.
Review
"The relationship between doctor and patient is hard enough to parse when both are in the same room. and#8230;And of the gallons of ink spilled over the centuries in attempts at clarification, few efforts in recent memory lay out the frustrations and confusions and crystalline moments of grace better than Dr. Jason Karlawish's marvelous new book
Open Wound."
and#8212;Abigail Zuger, M.D., New York Times
Review
"In this historical novel, [Beaumont and St. Martin] become entwined in each other's lives medically, financially and even legally. Karlawish sketchesandnbsp;their fraught relationship in the ensuing decades artfully, with clear relevance to the ethical questions of modern medicine."
and#8212;Kristen Gerencher, Wall Street Journal Marketwatch
Review
"I recommend this well-written and fascinating book to anyone interested in early medicine."
and#8212;Susan Zabolotny, The Historical Novels Review
Review
"...an excellent work of fiction with the power to illuminate difficult ethical issues."
and#8212;Noah Raizman, The Lancet
Review
"...this novel is great food for thought about the ongoing issues of informed consent and the hazards of financial incentives in the field of medical research."
and#8212;Natasha Bagdasarian, MD, MPH, JAMA
Synopsis
The year is 1915, and Benjamin Corvet, founder of the ship-owning firm Corvet, Sherrill and Spearman, suddenly disappears, sparking events and questions that baffle even those who are close to him.
Constance Sherrill, an attractive, sheltered young woman, feels strangely responsible for what may have happened to him---her father's best friend and coworker. Alan Conrad arrives in Chicago searching for his identity and an unknown benefactor and is swept into a maelstrom of mystery and intrigue that tests his intelligence and athleticism to the fullest. Henry Spearman, the firm's junior partner, is the most eligible bachelor along Chicago's Lake Shore Drive as a result of his catapult from ships' ranks to successful owner.
When a ship sinks off the coast of Beaver Island in Michigan, the intertwining lives of these characters unlock the mystery of the disappearance of another ship twenty years earlier, in a riveting whodunit set on the stormy waters of the Great Lakes.
Donald A. Johnston was born and raised in Detroit, served in World War II as a U.S. Navy Reserve officer, and was decorated for service in the Philippines and in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. His career includes forty years in the insurance business. An ardent sailing enthusiast, he has cruised the Great Lakes extensively and has sailed winners in class boats and in offshore competition.
Jacket photograph © Yuriz / iStockphoto.com
Synopsis
Mystery, intrigue, romance, and history in a novel set on the Great Lakes
Synopsis
A fictionalized case of medical ethics in Northern Michigan
About the Author
Jason Karlawish is Professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics and Senior Fellow of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. He studied medicine at Northwestern University and trained in internal medicine and geriatric medicine at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Chicago. His research examines issues in bioethics, and his clinical practice focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.and#160;
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Visit Jason Karlawish's website