National Book Award-winner and surgeon Sherwin B. Nuland tells the extraordinary story of the development of modern medicine through compelling studies of the great innovators and pioneers. Artfully selected illustrations bring the history of medicine to life as never before.

This brilliant collection of life portraits of physicianscientists shows how their deeds and determination paved the way for future breakthroughs in medicine.

Ranging from the legendary father of medicine, Hippocrates, to Helen Taussig, the founder of pediatric cardiology, the book is filled with the spirit of ideas and the thrill of discovery. Other medical pioneers profiled include Galen, Andreas Vesalius, Ambroise Paré, William Harvey, Giovanni Morgagni, John Hunter, René Laennec, Ignac Semmelweis, Rudolf Virchow, Joseph Lister, and William Stewart Halsted.

Artwork and photography are married to Nuland's vivid narrative here for the first time, turning a "reading" book by a bestselling author into a treasured gift book for medical professionals and science enthusiasts.