DIE ONCE LIVE TWICE by Dr Lawrence Dorr
From the heart and mind of world-renowned orthopedic surgeon, Lawrence Dorr, M.D., comes an unforgettable historical novel, Die Once Live Twice, that combines a physician’s skill, intellect and knowledge of medicine with wonderful story-telling,
creating a book that celebrates the origins and miracle of modern medicine.
Die Once Live Twice is an epic page-turner that begins in Philadelphia before the Civil War and carries us through to the eve of World War II, bringing to life the drama of scientific discovery and the extraordinary achievements of modern medicine from its early days to the pioneering use of vaccinations, never-before performed surgeries, and finally to the discovery of penicillin. A “who’s who” of the history of medicine, this novel seamlessly weaves together memorable fictional characters with medical luminaries of the 19th and early 20th century, telling the story of the miracle workers who changed the face of medical care forever.
The story begins in 1850, when eleven-year-old Katherine Lovington must care for a mother dying of breast cancer. This agonizing experience transforms her life, and she vows to find a way to help medicine truly heal rather than simply offer morphine and sympathy.
Lawrence Dorr has created compelling characters who struggle for their lives as we witness the first radical mastectomy, see the administration of the first antitoxin against diphtheria and witness breakthroughs in orthopedic surgery. As readers, we witness the unfolding of medical history and share the very triumphs of effort, insight and courage over superstition, fear, and ignorance that the doctors of the day experienced. Together we live through the vivid and powerful lives of those whose dreams changed the world.
DIE ONCE LIVE FOREVER by Dr Lawrence Dorr
From the heart and mind of world-renowned orthopedic surgeon, Lawrence Dorr, M.D., his second historical novel, Die Once Live Forever continues the story of the Sullivan family’s journey through life woven intimately with the transformation of medicine.
The book begins during World War II where his first novel, Die Once Live Twice, left off. It follows the grandchildren of Katherine as they devote their lives to the family heritage of advancing medicine. Medicine itself is in its Golden Age of developing effective treatments for disabling diseases. Success has been found mostly with those treatments that fix the human machine, such as for structural heart disease, cataracts, fractures and arthritic joints. Vaccines for viral diseases have been developed because viruses can now be grown in the laboratory by adding penicillin to the cultures to prevent bacteria from overgrowing the virus, which had prevented earlier success. But medical diseases like cancer have frustrated doctors, who have learned important information such as the structure of DNA, only to have the answers to effect a cure remain secret. Medicine has been its own enemy by keeping proven treatments from the public because of internal strife within medical organizations, as the successful cataract operation in this story illustrates. Finally, medicine becomes so successful with its discovery of treatments that businessmen and government intrude on its governance, with consequences that change it forever.
Die Once Live Forever combines a physician’s skill, intellect and knowledge of medicine with wonderful story-telling, and chronicles an exciting time in our history when lives were made better, and longer, by courageous men and women who took big risks.