The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science

Sam Kean examines the history of unethical conduct in science, spanning two thousand years from ancient Egypt to the present day. The book documents cases where scientific ambition led researchers to abandon ethical standards and commit crimes in pursuit of knowledge. Kean traces how modern science emerged partly from the transatlantic slave trade of the 1700s, and covers historical examples including Thomas Edison's promotion of the electric chair, espionage within the Manhattan Project, medical abuses at Tuskegee and in Nazi Germany, and icepick lobotomies performed in the 1950s. He argues that these past violations continue to influence contemporary issues, including vaccine hesitancy and gaps in mental-health care. The book also considers future risks posed by advanced computers and genetic engineering. Kean demonstrates that while science has produced substantial benefits, individual scientists have sometimes prioritized progress over ethics, ultimately achieving neither.