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The Courage of Dr. Lister
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About the author
Iris Noble
45 books5 followersBorn in Canada to American parents, Mrs. Noble grew up on a horse ranch, then reclaimed her American citizenship at eleven when she and her parents moved to Portland, Oregon. After studying English at the University of Oregon, she lived in California and worked as a secretary at a radio station while taking a few graduate classes at Stanford University. In 1941, she married Hollister Noble, also an author, and moved with him to New York City, where she began her free-lance career writing magazine articles and later books.
Although Ms. Noble wrote quite a few novels, she is probably most noted for her biographies for young adults. She was recognized by the Commonwealth of California in 1962 for First Ambulance Surgeon: Emily Barringer (1962). In 1983, Tingambato: Adventure in Archeology (1982) was awarded a silver medal by the New York Academy of Sciences. Another famous biography, Joseph Pulitzer: A Front Page Pioneer (1957), has since been translated into over 5 languages. She died on June 30, 1986 in Patzcuaro, Mexico.
Although Ms. Noble wrote quite a few novels, she is probably most noted for her biographies for young adults. She was recognized by the Commonwealth of California in 1962 for First Ambulance Surgeon: Emily Barringer (1962). In 1983, Tingambato: Adventure in Archeology (1982) was awarded a silver medal by the New York Academy of Sciences. Another famous biography, Joseph Pulitzer: A Front Page Pioneer (1957), has since been translated into over 5 languages. She died on June 30, 1986 in Patzcuaro, Mexico.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 4, 2020
I read this aloud to my kids (16, 14, 12) during our homeschool “Symposium” each day. By the end of the book, we couldn’t believe that none of us had ever heard of Joseph Lister before! What a great story of courage and perseverance and kindness and love. Even my husband listened in, said he was enjoying the story, and asked for narrations when he had to miss a reading!
This is perfect for middle school and up. If you can find a copy (they are rare), you are in for a treat!
This is perfect for middle school and up. If you can find a copy (they are rare), you are in for a treat!
June 18, 2023
Part of the Julian Messner Shelf of Biographies series.
Another incredible life story of a man determined to solve the problem of ‘hospital diseases’ primarily gangrene which was a certain death sentence. Lister’s understanding of Pasteur’s germ discovery and how it applied to the human body is astounding to modern eyes, which take the existence of germs for granted as undisputed fact. In Lister’s time, it was just discovered by Pasteur, and mostly disregarded! The conditions of hospitals and pride of stained, disgusting clothes/coats/instruments is hard to read. The uphill battle Lister had to fight was remarkable, and the lengths to which he went to convince other surgeons is also incredible—his move to London bring the part that made my heart go to my throat. He knew that to change the hearts and minds of the drs in London, he had to go there himself, giving up everything he had earned and his comfort in Scotland to do so. He risked it, but with a determined confidence that paid off. It was extremely satisfying to read of all the accolades he finally received after a lifetime of being accused of lying, madness, or theft. I loved that the book brought in his Quaker background, and detailed much about his relationship with Aggie, his wife, how much of a team they were. Her support, encouragement, and work with Lister is inspiring. Overall another excellent Messner biography, and another one I wish was more widely available. This is a life example of hard work, purpose, and determination that needs to be known by current generations!
Ccs: a couple of curse words detailed from a particularly passionate defender of Lister’s work. Animal subjects and ethics of medicinal research is lightly touched on, determining that the lives of a few animals are worth sacrificing if hundreds or thousands of humans can be saved from succeeding and death of germs. Lister does some of his experiments on older animals, like a horse who eventually dies of old age.
Another incredible life story of a man determined to solve the problem of ‘hospital diseases’ primarily gangrene which was a certain death sentence. Lister’s understanding of Pasteur’s germ discovery and how it applied to the human body is astounding to modern eyes, which take the existence of germs for granted as undisputed fact. In Lister’s time, it was just discovered by Pasteur, and mostly disregarded! The conditions of hospitals and pride of stained, disgusting clothes/coats/instruments is hard to read. The uphill battle Lister had to fight was remarkable, and the lengths to which he went to convince other surgeons is also incredible—his move to London bring the part that made my heart go to my throat. He knew that to change the hearts and minds of the drs in London, he had to go there himself, giving up everything he had earned and his comfort in Scotland to do so. He risked it, but with a determined confidence that paid off. It was extremely satisfying to read of all the accolades he finally received after a lifetime of being accused of lying, madness, or theft. I loved that the book brought in his Quaker background, and detailed much about his relationship with Aggie, his wife, how much of a team they were. Her support, encouragement, and work with Lister is inspiring. Overall another excellent Messner biography, and another one I wish was more widely available. This is a life example of hard work, purpose, and determination that needs to be known by current generations!
Ccs: a couple of curse words detailed from a particularly passionate defender of Lister’s work. Animal subjects and ethics of medicinal research is lightly touched on, determining that the lives of a few animals are worth sacrificing if hundreds or thousands of humans can be saved from succeeding and death of germs. Lister does some of his experiments on older animals, like a horse who eventually dies of old age.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews