The history of medicine and surgery is the history of human civilization.

This book is intended for the busy medical student, surgical house officer, practicing surgeon, or interested layperson. It is a concise treatise of the development and history of surgical practice and the surgeon from antiquity to the present day. It not only looks back to where we have been but also looks forward to where we might still go.

The book is a compilation of medical student lectures given at The University of Chicago for over 15 years.

Dr. Begelman is a Cardiovascular Surgeon who over a thirty year period performed more than 6000 open heart procedures. His interest in the history of science, medicine, and surgery dates back to his undergraduate days at Pennsylvania State University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.

He received his MD degree from The University of Chicago and trained in surgery at The University of Florida and The University of Wisconsin.

He now lives with his wife and two dogs in Teton County Wyoming.