William Stewart Halstead was born in New York in 1852. He was educated via private tutors in his home until the age of ten, when he was sent to a private boarding school. Eventually, he attended Yale, where he performed as an average student, at best. He did play several sports, including football and rowing, but did not obtain his goal of being inducted into the Skull and Bones Society. After graduating Yale, Halstead took his interest in medicine and enrolled in the medical program at Columbia University. He graduated that program with a medical degree in 1867. Halstead left the United States to learn under medical professionals in Europe, which was a common practice at this time. Halstead was an exceptionally capable and gifted doctor and surgeon, despite some personal problems that he had. He became addicted to certain substances, tarnishing his reputation. People that knew him, worked with him, and respected him helped to remind people of his many contributions, such as wearing rubber gloves during procedures and using local anesthetics, while also encouraging Halstead in his career.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book was the reference to Joseph Lister, whom Lindsey Fitzharris wrote a wonderful book about. I love seeing the connections between famous and influential people. It is sort of like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon game. In general, the book was very informative and I learned a great deal about Dr. Halsted. He accomplished so much in his career, despite having personal problems and other setbacks. People, especially today, grab hold of the flaws of a person and drive it into the ground, and I certainly believe the same thing would have happened to Halstead. Achievements and contributions mean much less when people have the gossip and misery bones to chew. This was a pretty good book, and if you are interested in medical history, I would suggest picking this one up.