The malleable body

WINNER of the 2025 European Association for the History of Medicine and Health Book Award

'This is an absorbing book that excavates the craft-world of early modern surgeons as practitioners engaged with new technologies of the body... a captivating tale of how experiences born in trauma were crafted with characteristic renaissance artistry and ingenuity into a new aesthetic of the malleable body that now lies at the very heart of modern biomedicine.'
Society for Renaissance Studies Book Prize 2024 (shortlistee)

'Hausse's book is both beautiful and brilliant... Each chapter offers a fresh context through which to understand the practice and experience of amputation in early modern Europe... No doubt this book will prove influential.'
Renaissance Quarterly

'Overall, Hausse has offered a thoughtful and stimulating contribution that will shape the history of early modern surgery for years to come and appeal to readers interested in social histories of medicine as well as histories of disability, material culture, and craft and artisanship.'
Social History of Medicine

'Hausse's book is an essential read for scholars of the history of medicine, early modern disability studies, cultural history, and the history of technology. It makes valuable sources accessible and provides thoughtful discussions using material and visual evidence as well as translations of vernacular German sources.'
H-Disability