BOOK REVIEW: The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science by Sam Kean

The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science by Sam Kean is the next pick for one of my book clubs. What’s it about? The title says it all: scientists gone rogue.

It’s a fascinating (and horrifying) recounting of crimes and atrocities committed by scientists and physicians who either lost or never had a moral compass. Most of the perpetrators have two sides to their stories, real-life Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hydes. Some of these, like Thomas Edison, are recognizable names, and while I had known he was a disagreeable sort, I didn’t know how awful he really was.

Sam Kean is a prolific author who writes popular science that is not only accessible but gripping. He gets to the heart of fraud in science by showing not only the disturbing rationales for shortcuts and cheating, but also the consequences of bad science. It’s a worthwhile collection of cautionary tales. However, readers may want to be forewarned that there are rather chilling descriptions of physical and psychological abuse and of animal abuse.