Synopses & Reviews
Red oozes from the patient's gums. He has a rushing headache and the whites of his eyes look like lemons. He will likely die within days.
Here is the true story of how four Americans and one Cuban tracked down a killer, one of the world's most vicious plagues: yellow fever. Set in fever-stricken Cuba, this book allows the reader to feel the heavy air, smell the stench of disease, hears the whine of mosquitoes biting human volunteers during the surreal experiments. Exploring themes of courage, cooperation, and the ethics of human experimentation, this gripping account is ultimately a story of the triumph of science.
Review
"With plenty of gory details . . .and#160; Even reluctant readers will respond to the gruesome descriptions of the disease and of brave volunteers . . . Quotations from the doctorsand#8217; letters and later accounts by other participants gives the story an immediacy heightened by conversational writing full of questions and cliffhangers . . .and#160; powerful exploration of a disease that killed 100,000 U.S. citizens in the 1800s."--Kirkus Reviews
Review
andquot;A gripping look at a major medical breakthrough.andquot;
andmdash;Kirkus
Synopsis
This riveting medical drama tells the true story of how four Americans and one Cuban tracked down a killer, one of the word's most vicious plagues: yellow fever. Set in fever-stricken Cuba, this gripping account is ultimately a story of the triumph of science. Full color.
Synopsis
A riveting medical detective drama about anand#160;truly extraordinary discovery, illustrated with archival images, written by an award-winning author of nonfiction.
Synopsis
In 1944 an unprecedented surgical procedure repaired the heart of a child with blue baby syndromeand#8212;lack of blood oxygen caused by a congenital defect. This landmark operation opened the way for all types of open heart surgery.and#160;The team that developed it included a cardiologist and a surgeon, but most of the actual work was done by Vivien Thomas, an African American lab assistant who was frequently mistaken for a janitor.and#160;
Synopsis
In 1944 a groundbreaking operation repaired the congenital heart defect known as blue baby syndrome. The operationand#39;s success brought the surgeon Alfred Blalock international fame and paved the way for open-heart surgery. But the technique had been painstakingly developed by Vivien Thomas, Blalockand#39;s African American lab assistant, who stood behind Blalock in the operating room to give him step-by-step instructions.and#160;and#160;The stories of this medical and social breakthrough and the lives of Thomas, Blalock, and their colleague Dr. Helen Taussig are intertwined in this compelling nonfiction narrative.
About the Author
To research this book, Suzanne Jurmain used primary sources of memoirs, medical log books and documents from the doctors who were actually involved in the conquest of yellow fever. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles and has two adult children - and one large golden retriever.