The Medical Fiascoes series by Gail Jarrow examines important moments in nineteenth-and early-twentieth-century America when medical blunders, ignorance, and inexperience led to suffering and death. With a focus on the individuals at the center of each medical disaster—patients, physicians, scientists—each book reveals the true story behind the heartbreaking events. Yet from these tragedies came advancements in knowledge, paving the way for life-saving treatments, cures, and prevention. Books in the series include Blood and Germs: The Civil War Battle Against Wounds and Disease; Ambushed! The Assassination Plot Against President Garfield; and American Murderer: The Parasite That Haunted the South.