In the past few months, I’ve noticed an unintended theme in my reading. I happened to have chosen several fictional accounts centered around pivotal events in medical history. Each of them are well researched and expertly plotted, featuring wonderfully drawn characters placed in difficult or impossible situations. While reading these riveting stories about science, discovery and triumph against adversity, I learned an enormous amount about medical history along the way. I honestly loved them all and I’d be hard pressed to choose a favorite.

This fascinating story takes placed in the mid twentieth century and centers on Ruth Emeraldine, an administrator at a Bellevue type hospital who falls in love and marries handsome neurologist, Robert Apter. The couple soon become pioneers of a promising new treatment for psychiatric illness, the frontal lobotomy. As the surgery gains popularity, Ruth begins to wonder whether they are actually doing more harm than good. Maybe lobotomy is not the miracle cure her husband touts it to be. Interspersed are chapters from the point of view of Margaret Baxter, a woman suffering from post partum depression who has sought Dr. Apter’s help. Could lobotomy help her find joy again? The medical details are surprising and the story is perfectly plotted and well-paced. This is Woodruff’s debut novel; I can’t wait to find out what topic she takes on next.

The story follows Nora Beady, a woman determined to become a surgeon in nineteenth century Europe. When she arrives in Bologna, Italy, to study medicine and obtain her degree to practice surgery. Nora is mentored by a female surgeon who is pioneering the Ceasarean section, inspiring Nora to practice and perfect this potentially life saving procedure. The medical scenes are tense, detailed and expertly researched; I really felt invested in Nora’s life’s work and noble quest right up to the end. About halfway through the book, I learned this book is actually a sequel to Blake’s prior novel, The Girl in His Shadow. Blake provides enough backstory for The Surgeon’s Daughter to stand alone, but I will definitely be catching up with her prior book sooner rather than later. 

This untold story by Amanda Skenandore centers on Mirielle West, a Hollywood socialite in the 1920’s. Married to a silent film star, Mirielle is accustomed to parties, socializing and champagne, but when a doctor notices a skin lesion on her hand, Mirielle’s perfect life changes in an instant. Diagnosed with the dreaded leprosy, she is forcibly quarantined at Carville in Louisiana, the only leper colony in the United States. Terrified the world will learn of her disease, Mirielle adopts a new name and does everything she can to heal so she can return to her life. But as time passes, she slowly accepts her situation and develops relationships with her fellow patients. Will Mirielle be one of the lucky ones who is discharged or will she be stuck at Carville forever? This is a part of history I knew nothing about and Skenandore, a registered nurse, does an incredible job bringing Carville and its residents to life. Skenandore has written several other historical fiction titles on medical topics which will surely rise to the top of my pile soon.

This is a bonus pick for those who might prefer an on screen medical story, centered on the staff at the The Knickerbocker Hospital in New York in the early twentieth century. The show is gorgeously filmed and the period details are on point. Be forewarned—there is a significant amount of gore. This one is not for the faint of heart.