Emotions and Surgery refers to a number of individuals who, like Charles Bell, Benjamin Brodie, or Astley Cooper, received knighthoods or baronetcies, or who, in the case of Joseph Lister, were made peers of the realm. However, for the sake of consistency and clarity, I have decided not to use the titles ‘Sir’ or ‘Lord’ in the text, given that this book covers the period both before and after these titles were bestowed.

For ease of identification, life dates are provided for named individuals at the first mention in the body text. I have tried to do this for as many people as possible, but clear identities, let alone life dates, have not been possible to establish for everyone mentioned.

This book makes extensive use of manuscript sources, such as letters, diaries, and casebooks, in which spelling and punctuation do not necessarily conform to modern standard practice. These are presented unaltered, and clarification is provided only in cases where confusion might otherwise result.