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Sword and Scalpel
SWORD AND SCALPEL, by Dr. Frank G. Slaughter, is one of the few Korean War-era novels in existence. It is the story of Dr. Paul Scott, a Johns Hopkins-trained surgeon who is taken prisoner by the North Koreans when they overrun his frontline MASH unit at the outset of the Korean War. Dr. Scott is imprisoned in Pyongyang along with his Commanding Officer Colonel Jasper Hardin, Kay Storey a famous entertainer known as "The Girl Next Door," and the unit Chaplain, affectionately known as Father Tim. While imprisoned, the Americans are subjected to torture, sensory deprivation, brainwashing, starvation and all forms of physical and mental abuse. The frail Father Tim becomes deathly ill and Kay Storey is threatened with ongoing sexual abuse. In order to spare his friends from death, Dr. Scott chooses to sign a spurious War Crimes confession. After they are repatriated, Colonel Hardin has Dr. Scott Court-Martialed.
231 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
2 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Frank G. Slaughter
429 books79 followersFrank Gill Slaughter , pen-name Frank G. Slaughter, pseudonym C.V. Terry, was an American novelist and physician whose books sold more than 60 million copies. His novels drew on his own experience as a doctor and his interest in history and the Bible. Through his novels, he often introduced readers to new findings in medical research and new medical technologies.
Slaughter was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Stephen Lucious Slaughter and Sarah "Sallie" Nicholson Gill. When he was about five years old, his family moved to a farm near Berea, North Carolina, which is west of Oxford, North Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree from Trinity College (now Duke University) at 17 and went to medical school at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He began writing fiction in 1935 while a physician at Riverside Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.
Books by Slaughter include The Purple Quest, Surgeon, U.S.A., Epidemic! , Tomorrow's Miracle and The Scarlet Cord. Slaughter died May 17, 2001 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Slaughter was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Stephen Lucious Slaughter and Sarah "Sallie" Nicholson Gill. When he was about five years old, his family moved to a farm near Berea, North Carolina, which is west of Oxford, North Carolina. He earned a bachelor's degree from Trinity College (now Duke University) at 17 and went to medical school at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He began writing fiction in 1935 while a physician at Riverside Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.
Books by Slaughter include The Purple Quest, Surgeon, U.S.A., Epidemic! , Tomorrow's Miracle and The Scarlet Cord. Slaughter died May 17, 2001 in Jacksonville, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 18, 2014
I have liked everything I have read by this author. His writing flows with enough action to keep your interest. Details the places and activities with color keeping the story interesting.
October 3, 2023
My partner picked this out for me, and what a good idea that was! I might have him choose more often 🤣
War, romance and Treason.
War, romance and Treason.
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October 24, 2022Wonderfully written book! Gripping, emotional, fascinating and the little romance between the hero and heroine is very sweet.
P.S. The picture on the cover of the book is deceptive, no 'sexy' scenes in this book. :)
P.S. The picture on the cover of the book is deceptive, no 'sexy' scenes in this book. :)
December 1, 2009
Good read.
June 2, 2024
If you liked the movie A Few Good Men, you’ll probably enjoy Sword and Scalpel. The work is unique in Korean War literature as Dr. Frank G. Slaughter blended elements of romance, war, religion, and military courtroom drama into a solid and readable novel.
Slaughter was a surgeon who left the medical profession and dedicated his life to writing. He had an impressive body of work, having published 56 books according to his bio on the author you can read here (https://findingaids.uflib.ufl.edu/rep...). The linked bio is also one of the few places (aside from the dust jacket) which mentioned his military service. Although his service was during WWII, the University of Florida bio didn’t mention any details. However, Washington Post noted he served in the Pacific during WWII (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archiv...#). Slaughter was out after WWII so his fictional account of a Korean War doctor was likely a mix of personal knowledge and experiences, with a healthy amount of research.
I’m curious as to how well received Sword and Scalpel was when it was published in 1957. The United States was only four years removed from an embarrassing stalemate after throwing away the lives of 36,635 service members. I imagine it sold okay. I’m only aware of one printing, a couple paperback editions, and a book club edition of the novel.
What stood out to me was the uniqueness of the story. Dr. Paul Scott faces court martial for his conduct as a U.S. Army surgeon and POW. Scott is primarily charged with aiding the enemy for signing a false confession of his involvement in biological weapons attacks on North Korea.
Although the author treats the biological weapons attacks as pure tools of propaganda; it should be noted that the U.S. military employed Japanese war criminal and former Unit 731 director Shiro Ishii during the Korean War. It should also be noted that a new hemorrhagic fever was discovered during the Korean War, and there were outbreaks of plague, smallpox, and malaria. At the very least, a sudden appearance of a non endemic hemorrhagic fever in Korea might have been cause for suspicion when the U.S. was employing a guy who helped introduce a non endemic hemorrhagic fever to Manchuria. I thought it was interesting that Dr. Scott treated a case of hemorrhagic fever in the book.
I liked the plot of the book though. I enjoyed how we move from the courtroom to flashbacks of Korea. The heroes of Sword and Scalpel, Scott, Kay Storey, and Father Tim are a touch too pious for my taste, unbelievably so. In contrast, the villains, Colonel Pak, Colonal Hardin, and Master Sergeant Bates were almost cartoonishly evil. I never truly felt invested in the story. I knew Scott was going to win the case, but I kind of didn’t care how. Which made me feel like a dipshit when the book ended because Slaughter foreshadowed the hell out of it.
Slaughter gets extra points with me for not falling into the trap of overusing racist language to show how authentic his characters are. If there is a Korean War novel trope, its excessive use of racial slurs.
Slaughter was a surgeon who left the medical profession and dedicated his life to writing. He had an impressive body of work, having published 56 books according to his bio on the author you can read here (https://findingaids.uflib.ufl.edu/rep...). The linked bio is also one of the few places (aside from the dust jacket) which mentioned his military service. Although his service was during WWII, the University of Florida bio didn’t mention any details. However, Washington Post noted he served in the Pacific during WWII (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archiv...#). Slaughter was out after WWII so his fictional account of a Korean War doctor was likely a mix of personal knowledge and experiences, with a healthy amount of research.
I’m curious as to how well received Sword and Scalpel was when it was published in 1957. The United States was only four years removed from an embarrassing stalemate after throwing away the lives of 36,635 service members. I imagine it sold okay. I’m only aware of one printing, a couple paperback editions, and a book club edition of the novel.
What stood out to me was the uniqueness of the story. Dr. Paul Scott faces court martial for his conduct as a U.S. Army surgeon and POW. Scott is primarily charged with aiding the enemy for signing a false confession of his involvement in biological weapons attacks on North Korea.
Although the author treats the biological weapons attacks as pure tools of propaganda; it should be noted that the U.S. military employed Japanese war criminal and former Unit 731 director Shiro Ishii during the Korean War. It should also be noted that a new hemorrhagic fever was discovered during the Korean War, and there were outbreaks of plague, smallpox, and malaria. At the very least, a sudden appearance of a non endemic hemorrhagic fever in Korea might have been cause for suspicion when the U.S. was employing a guy who helped introduce a non endemic hemorrhagic fever to Manchuria. I thought it was interesting that Dr. Scott treated a case of hemorrhagic fever in the book.
I liked the plot of the book though. I enjoyed how we move from the courtroom to flashbacks of Korea. The heroes of Sword and Scalpel, Scott, Kay Storey, and Father Tim are a touch too pious for my taste, unbelievably so. In contrast, the villains, Colonel Pak, Colonal Hardin, and Master Sergeant Bates were almost cartoonishly evil. I never truly felt invested in the story. I knew Scott was going to win the case, but I kind of didn’t care how. Which made me feel like a dipshit when the book ended because Slaughter foreshadowed the hell out of it.
Slaughter gets extra points with me for not falling into the trap of overusing racist language to show how authentic his characters are. If there is a Korean War novel trope, its excessive use of racial slurs.
March 28, 2023
Me ha costado terminar este libro. Por lo general las historias sobre juicios me atraen, me gusta saber que al final todo acabará bien pese a que el acusado lo tiene todo en contra pese a ser inocente, pero en esta historia el personaje del coronel Hardin es tan tan detestable (borracho, machista, cobarde, inútil, egoísta, mezquino, perjuro...), que me quitaba las ganas de leer.
Además, había otros detalles que me causaban perplejidad. El primero fue el hecho de contar con un capellán católico en lugar de protestante. Me convencí a mí misma de que podía ser debido a que el batallón o regimiento o lo que fuese estuviese formado en su mayor parte por inmigrantes hispanos. No sería nada inusual que el gobierno enviase a luchar al medio mundo de distancia a aquellos a quienes menos apreciaba... Y eso también justificaba que quien estuviese al mando fuese precisamente un inútil sin la menor idea sobre táctica militar.
El segundo detalle incomprensible para mí surgió en el mismo momento en que se mencionó el "libro de confesiones" del Padre Tim. Desde ese momento me pregunté si el abogado defensor era tan necio como el comandante Hardin. La respuesta al final del libro es que sí.
El tercer detalle con el que no he podido congraciarme es el empeño del coronel enemigo por conseguir una confesión falsa del médico, cuando podría haber obtenido una mucho más valiosa del cobarde borracho coronel Hardin.
En suma, está bien escrito y mantiene el interés a condición de que no se busque un argumento coherente, porque de coherencia, por exigencias del guion como aquel que dice, va escasito.
Por cierto, a raíz de la lectura de este libro busqué información sobre la guerra de Corea... No sé si habría algo cierto en lo plasmado en esa "confesión" arrancada a la fuerza que justifica el juicio contra el protagonista, pero lo que cuentan las crónicas es que Corea del Norte atacó primero y conquistó casi todo el territorio del sur, luego las fuerzas lideradas por EE.UU. recuperaron Corea del Sur y se lanzaron sobre el norte, entonces intervinieron también la U.R.S.S. y China, que obligaron a replegarse a los aliados del Sur y a firmar un armisticio, pero sucede que no hay ninguna mención a que muriese una cantidad enorme de civiles de Corea del Sur, en cambio, entre el 10 y el 15 % de la población civil de Corea del Norte murió a consecuencia del conflicto. Muchos "daños colaterales" provocados por los "buenos".
Además, había otros detalles que me causaban perplejidad. El primero fue el hecho de contar con un capellán católico en lugar de protestante. Me convencí a mí misma de que podía ser debido a que el batallón o regimiento o lo que fuese estuviese formado en su mayor parte por inmigrantes hispanos. No sería nada inusual que el gobierno enviase a luchar al medio mundo de distancia a aquellos a quienes menos apreciaba... Y eso también justificaba que quien estuviese al mando fuese precisamente un inútil sin la menor idea sobre táctica militar.
El segundo detalle incomprensible para mí surgió en el mismo momento en que se mencionó el "libro de confesiones" del Padre Tim. Desde ese momento me pregunté si el abogado defensor era tan necio como el comandante Hardin. La respuesta al final del libro es que sí.
El tercer detalle con el que no he podido congraciarme es el empeño del coronel enemigo por conseguir una confesión falsa del médico, cuando podría haber obtenido una mucho más valiosa del cobarde borracho coronel Hardin.
En suma, está bien escrito y mantiene el interés a condición de que no se busque un argumento coherente, porque de coherencia, por exigencias del guion como aquel que dice, va escasito.
Por cierto, a raíz de la lectura de este libro busqué información sobre la guerra de Corea... No sé si habría algo cierto en lo plasmado en esa "confesión" arrancada a la fuerza que justifica el juicio contra el protagonista, pero lo que cuentan las crónicas es que Corea del Norte atacó primero y conquistó casi todo el territorio del sur, luego las fuerzas lideradas por EE.UU. recuperaron Corea del Sur y se lanzaron sobre el norte, entonces intervinieron también la U.R.S.S. y China, que obligaron a replegarse a los aliados del Sur y a firmar un armisticio, pero sucede que no hay ninguna mención a que muriese una cantidad enorme de civiles de Corea del Sur, en cambio, entre el 10 y el 15 % de la población civil de Corea del Norte murió a consecuencia del conflicto. Muchos "daños colaterales" provocados por los "buenos".
November 1, 2025
A very interesting book about a conflict that's been largely ignored in media. The plot is very entertaining and captivating, but the characters are hard to really relate to, and they lack any real development; their personalities are rather static. The military aspects of the story seem rather unlikely in various occasions, and the book falls short of being able to provide a much better outlook at the Korean War by focusing too much on the inner thoughts of the main character and on essentially repeating the same scenes multiple times, which makes it feels rather circular often.
I'd argue that the book fails to actually give us any type of satisfying ending, as it fails to really give us a proper, real image of what it was like to be in a POW camp in North Korea, or to be fighting in the front. For a book about war, it lacks grittiness and shock, but it makes it up with the good storytelling and the court scenes.
As for this specific version I read, it has some print errors and arguably some minor mistranslations and grammar mistake, but it's overall quite good for its time.
I'd argue that the book fails to actually give us any type of satisfying ending, as it fails to really give us a proper, real image of what it was like to be in a POW camp in North Korea, or to be fighting in the front. For a book about war, it lacks grittiness and shock, but it makes it up with the good storytelling and the court scenes.
As for this specific version I read, it has some print errors and arguably some minor mistranslations and grammar mistake, but it's overall quite good for its time.
April 11, 2025
Aunque estamos ante un best seller añejo y no ante lo que los críticos llamarían “alta literatura”, esta novela me ha resultado interesante y digna de ser leída a día de hoy, tanto la historia en sí como por la forma de contarla. Nos presenta a un cirujano íntegro y de una sola pieza (Paul Scott) en plena guerra de Corea en primera línea de combate. Aúna los deberes del cirujano y del soldado (de ahí obviamente el título). También conocemos su historia de amor con una cantante (Kay) que anima el frente bélico. Los otros dos personajes que dan vida a la narración son un sacerdote católico y un militar mandamás de muy alta graduación (alcohólica). Para mí el acierto del autor es que estructura la narración en tiempo actual (el juicio en consejo de guerra contra el cirujano) y lo intercala con las secuencias durante la guerra y en el campo de concentración en Pyongyang.. La idea de ir dosificando la información intercalando la narración del pasado (las escenas de la guerra de Corea) con las del proceso judicial consigue mantener el interés del lector. Vamos descubriendo poco a poco las motivaciones de los personajes sin prejuzgarlos. La pega es que, como es habitual en este tipo de novelas “populares” los personajes son de una pieza, con muy pocos matices, o muy buenos o muy malos.
Dejando esto aparte, el libro merece la pena y no aburre en ningún momento, aunque abusa un poco de la jerga médica (el autor era médico) y nos explica las intervenciones quirúrgicas con detalle.
Dejando esto aparte, el libro merece la pena y no aburre en ningún momento, aunque abusa un poco de la jerga médica (el autor era médico) y nos explica las intervenciones quirúrgicas con detalle.
April 30, 2025
A rough and gritty look at the experiences of a prisoner of war in the Korean conflict. Imprisoned with 3 other Americans, Dr. Scott chooses to sign a false confession of guilt in war crimes than to allow his fellow prisoners to continue to be tortured. A sad and terrible tale.
August 31, 2023
Good story with insight into the lives of Korean War veterans and their war experience.
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July 17, 2008973.92osbwar
June 21, 2017
MASH, but not funny.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews