Who was the Victorian doctor? A scientific hero responsible for
world-changing medical advances, or an inept and traditionalist
character with a fondness for leeches? A figure of both satire and
reverence, the medical practitioner occupied a conflicted role in a
society where progress and traditionalism were constantly at odds. The
book will investigate the wide-ranging experiences of the Victorian
doctor, from the student's first steps into the dissection room to the
emergency midnight visits where anything could happen. Covering
hospitals, crime, country life, quackery and more, Caroline Rance
reveals the eventful lives of the men and women who treated the sick in
Victorian Britain.