Overview

Westminster Hall, 13 December 1828. Midnight. Thousands are massed outside. Newspapers are holding their presses. James Lambert, a young apothecary-surgeon, has accused a leading surgeon at Guy's Hospital of killing a patient. Never before has a doctor's competence been challenged in a court. What drove him to take on the medical establishment, risking everything he'd always wanted? For two centuries his contribution to the making of modern health care has lain unrecognised. This novel, based on true events, tells his extraordinary story.

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9781803811826

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Scrupulous, scientific, tender, revelatory - Nick Black has imagined, with the support of extensive research, an early-19th century medical world that rings true in its depictions of both moral clarity and squalor. A sad yet powerful story. Nick Coleman, The Train in the Night ///// Nick Black weaves a pacy narrative through the bitter court cases and rowdy meetings which shaped the 19th century world of medical reform. He takes us into the dark alleys, smoky taverns and pungent operating theatres of London in the early 1800s in this fascinating story about a young doctor's battle to expose surgical blunders, fight medical corruption and defend press freedom. Wendy Moore, The Knife Man ///// James Lambert lies forgotten in a graveyard in the Fens. Until now. Amidst the widespread push for political and cultural reform in 1820s' Britain, Lambert was a key figure in the fight against the medical establishment, and the ways in which it put its own vested interests ahead of science and the welfare of its patients. Elegantly written and rooted in deep historical and medical knowledge, The Honourable Doctor brings vividly into view both the terrible cost of doing what's right, and the courage and compassion it takes to change the world. I absolutely loved it. Robert Morrison, The Regency Revolution ///// A wonderfully fast-paced tale of life and death in the medical, political and scientific world of London in the ferment of the 1820s. Bodysnatching, gore, and the physical and intellectual heroism of those whose courage created a better world, combine into a highly readable and engaging account of the most exciting years in human history. Druin Burch, Digging up the Dead

Author Information

Nick Black is professor of health services research at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He's spent many years studying health care, helping students understand how to improve its quality, and advising national policymakers. The author of Walking London's Medical History, which won awards from the British Medical Association and the Society of Authors, this is his first novel. He lives in London and Herne Bay with his wife and two black cats.

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