On October 7, 1892, to prove his theoretical propositions, Max Pettenkofer drank a culture of cholera vibrios. For developing new diagnostic methods, Forssman introduced a catheter into the cavity of his own heart through a vein. And when offering a new medicine, the scientist demonstrates its beneficial and harmless effect on the body himself—these, and many other feats of doctors, are described by the author.
The final chapter is devoted to space medicine: what experiments scientists perform on themselves, filling the pages of the golden book of doctors’ feats for the sake of humanity.