How to Remove an Appendix - by Stephen M Cohn (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The story of the tiny organ that sparked the rise of modern surgery

How to Remove an Appendix offers a sweeping, narrative history of surgery, using the enigmatic, worm-shaped appendix as a lens through which to tell the story of medicine's most common procedure. From primitive, pre-anesthetic efforts to modern robotic-assisted operations, this work reveals how the management of appendicitis mirrors the transformation of surgery from a dangerous art to a safe medical procedure.

Appendicitis has been a "secret killer" for centuries, affecting nearly one in ten people worldwide. Today, it is frequently treated with minimally invasive, four-incision laparoscopy or targeted antibiotics. The journey from fatal abdominal catastrophe to routine operation encapsulates the entire arc of surgical evolution: anatomy, anesthesia, antisepsis, imaging, and sterilization.

By interweaving historical and technical advancements with vivid, human-centered storytelling, the book reveals the influence of this small organ on royalty, politics, and the arts. The result is a compelling, dramatic, and intellectually stimulating exploration of medical history.

About the Author

Stephen M. Cohn, M.D., is a former surgeon in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Desert Storm, past division chief of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care at Yale University School of Medicine, past medical director of the Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, past chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center, and current practitioner in New York City.

He has also lent his knowledge as an educator and researcher, having produced more than three hundred scientific publications, edited eight surgical textbooks, conducted extensive funded research, participated in many professional organizations, and served as an editorial reviewer for numerous journals. He is the recipient of Teacher of the Year awards at Boston University, University of Massachusetts, Yale, and Northwell Health and of a Lifetime Achievement in Education award from the University of Miami Department of Surgery. He is the author of All Bleeding Stops: Life and Death in the Trauma (Mayo Clinic Press) and Acute Care Surgery and Trauma: Evidence-Based Practice (CRC Press). He lives in New York City.