The Horrors of Amputation, the Liston Knife, and the Silvester Method
During the grisly scene at the hospital in Episode 5, “A Second Death,” Elise is mistaken for a nurse and forced to witness a critically injured patient undergoing an amputation. This is just one more example of how Borrowed Lives takes listeners back in time to real places and circumstances that were part of life in 1870s Chicago. Although medical science had already made many advances, treatments were still far more barbaric than they are now. The Liston Knife, used by the doctor to amputate the injured man’s arm, was invented by Robert Liston. He was a Scottish surgeon known for his speed and skill, which made a significant difference in terms of pain and survival before the invention of anesthesia. The knife was 6–8 inches long and made out of high-quality metal. Medical amputations were common despite being risky […]
