The setting is the city of Melbourne in the latter half of the 19th century, when it grew rapidly, due to the extensive amount of gold flowing from mid-Victoria. It concerns Dr James Beaney, a very colourful and controversial surgeon, who amassed a fortune from his practice, and displayed it in the jewellery he wore. He was, however, a generous benefactor to the Melbourne University and hospitals in Melbourne, as well as to his birthplace, the city of Canterbury in Kent. Beaney, not for the first time, after his re-appointment to the Melbourne Hospital was implicated in a court case following the death of a patient he had operated on for a large bladder stone. The inquest is outlined in considerable detail and the skill displayed by James Purves, the brilliant young barrister who defended him, will be evident to the reader.
"One of the most interesting and enjoyable books I have read for some time. Beaney was a colourful character in a booming time in Melbourne, and this has been brought splendidly to life by Brian Collopy."
– Professor Sir Peter Morris, AC, FRS, FRCS, Nuffield Professor of Surgery Emeritus, University of Oxford
