This compelling and impeccably researched history of transplant surgery puts you right at the heart of the gruesome action. A thoroughly good read Barry Fuller, Professor of Surgical Sciences at UCL Medical School

Packed with stories which bring to life the personalities, the heroes and villains, and, with benefit of hindsight, the sometime frankly incredulous ideas, we get a unique and inspiring tapestry of events. Paul Craddock's book is a veritable tour de force, a tantalising journey through human efforts in understanding science, medicine, personal beliefs and ourselves over the past centuries. Spare Parts is a triumph of medical story-telling Michael Brooks, author of 'The Quantum Astrologer's Handbook' and 'Science(ish)' I can't think of any other book whose pages will make you laugh, gasp, grimace and wince.

It's a fascinating exploration of just how far humans will go to stay on the right side of death. I read Spare Parts with my mouth open, my eyes popping and my brain fizzing.

This is a captivating and absorbing read that surprises on every page whether it be from prosthetic noses of the 16th Century to modern day bio-printing and stem cell technology Professor Dame Sue Black, author of 'All That Remains' With compassion and insight, Paul Craddock elucidates vital questions about what it means to be human and to realise our dreams of survival Dr Emily Mayhew, author of 'Wounded' and 'The Four Horsemen' This is a fascinating and sure-footed exploration of the medical, historical and mythological landscape in which humans use parts from each other to make themselves whole. Spare Parts is a triumph Roger Kneebone, author of 'Expert' Craddock combines meticulous scholarship with wry wit in lucid prose which is all the more powerful for being understated. 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

Paul craddock spare parts