Spare Parts is a triumph * Roger Kneebone, author of 'Expert' * Much has been written about this subject, but with Spare Parts Paul Craddock has achieved something unique: a serious, entertaining and thoroughly researched work that usefully sets the history of transplantation in the context of the evolution of ideas about the human body - Thomas Morris * TLS *Ĭraddock combines meticulous scholarship with wry wit in lucid prose which is all the more powerful for being understated.

tantalizing - Robert Sullivan * The New York Times *Īnyone interested in the history of surgery will find much to amaze and startle in Paul Craddock's Spare Parts: A Surprising History of Transplants * Independent *Įxcellent. The charm of Spare Parts comes from situating these landmarks in a wider history of ideas * Spectator *Ī thrilling and often terrifying ride through transplantation and the theories and techniques that made it possible. Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd ISBN: 9780241370261 Number of pages: 320 Weight: 256 g Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 20 mm MEDIA REVIEWSĬompelling - Christopher Hart * The Sunday Times * 'This is a joyful romp through a fascinating slice of medical history' WENDY MOORE, author of The Knife Man 'Spare Parts is a fascinating read filled with adventure, delight and surprise' RAHUL JANDIAL, surgeon and author of Life on a Knife's Edge A thoroughly engrossing read that I couldn't put down' LINDSEY FITZHARRIS, author of The Facemaker and The Butchering Art 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.

In Spare Parts, cultural historian Paul Craddock takes us on a fascinating journey and unearths incredible untold stories, from Indian surgeons regrafting lost noses in the sixth century BC, to the seventeenth century architect who helped pioneer blood transfusions, to the French seamstress whose needlework paved the way for kidney transplants in the early 1900s.Įxpertly weaving together philosophy, science and cultural history, Spare Parts explores how transplant surgery has constantly tested the boundaries between human, animal and machine. As ancient as the pyramids, its history is even more surprising. We think of transplant surgery as one of the medical wonders of the modern world - but it's a lot older than you think.

'Compelling' Christopher Hart, The Sunday Times

Spare parts by paul craddock