Description

Book Synopsis

Brilliant, volatile and invariably male, the surgeon stereotype is a widespread and instantly recognisable part of western culture. Setting out to anatomise this stereotype, Cold, hard steel offers an exciting new history of modern and contemporary British surgery.

The book draws on archival materials and original interviews with surgeons, analysing them alongside a range of fictional depictions, from the Doctor in the House novels to Mills & Boon romances and the pioneering soap opera Emergency Ward 10. Presenting a unique social, cultural and emotional history, it sheds light on the development and maintenance of the surgical stereotype and explains why it has proved so enduring.

At the same time, the book explores the more candid and compassionate image of the surgeon that has begun to emerge in recent years, revealing how a series of high-profile memoirs both challenge the surgical stereotype and simultaneously confirm it.



Table of Contents

Introduction: Sir Lancelot Spratt and the myth of the modern surgeon
1 Self-made myths
2 Surgeons in film, fiction, and on TV screens
3 Surgical conduct and surgical communities
4 Gender in surgery
5 Race and ethnicity in surgery
6 Surgical time
7 Military myths and metaphors
Conclusion: moving myths
Bibliography
Index

Cold, Hard Steel: The Myth of the Modern Surgeon

    Product form

    A Hardback by Agnes Arnold-Forster

    £18.75

    Includes FREE delivery

    RRP £25.00 – you save £6.25 (25%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Fri 11 Sep 2026.

    1 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of Cold, Hard Steel: The Myth of the Modern Surgeon by Agnes Arnold-Forster

      Book details

      Publisher Manchester University Press
      Published 27 June 2023
      ISBN-13 9781526156624
      978-1526156624
      ISBN-10 1526156628
      Also in:
      History Social and cultural history History of medicine Surgery

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      Brilliant, volatile and invariably male, the surgeon stereotype is a widespread and instantly recognisable part of western culture. Setting out to anatomise this stereotype, Cold, hard steel offers an exciting new history of modern and contemporary British surgery.

      The book draws on archival materials and original interviews with surgeons, analysing them alongside a range of fictional depictions, from the Doctor in the House novels to Mills & Boon romances and the pioneering soap opera Emergency Ward 10. Presenting a unique social, cultural and emotional history, it sheds light on the development and maintenance of the surgical stereotype and explains why it has proved so enduring.

      At the same time, the book explores the more candid and compassionate image of the surgeon that has begun to emerge in recent years, revealing how a series of high-profile memoirs both challenge the surgical stereotype and simultaneously confirm it.



      Table of Contents

      Introduction: Sir Lancelot Spratt and the myth of the modern surgeon
      1 Self-made myths
      2 Surgeons in film, fiction, and on TV screens
      3 Surgical conduct and surgical communities
      4 Gender in surgery
      5 Race and ethnicity in surgery
      6 Surgical time
      7 Military myths and metaphors
      Conclusion: moving myths
      Bibliography
      Index

      Recently viewed products

      © 2026 Book Curl

        • American Express
        • Apple Pay
        • Diners Club
        • Discover
        • Google Pay
        • Maestro
        • Mastercard
        • PayPal
        • Shop Pay
        • Union Pay
        • Visa

        Login

        Forgot your password?

        Don't have an account yet?
        Create account