Richard Karl, a doctor and teacher, takes the reader closer than any writer before into the corridors of the hospital, on the surgical table, and into the world of medicine. In these pages we see the tragedies and triumphs of modern medicine: the beauty of surgery done well, and the aftermath of operations that fail to deliver on the hopes of the doctor and patient. We witness the "M&M"—the morbidity and mortality meeting—where doctors scrutinize their own work and mistakes, and the often inevitable outcomes of treatment. Suffused throughout are Karl’s keen observations on the workings of the human body and its immense capacity for healing. "...I celebrate the rich privilege accorded the practicing surgeon. The surgical life is really about bearing witness to the human condition and about respecting the many almost whimsical variations of biology and about the intersection of the two. It is remarkable, really, the way I get to know people so intimately so quickly, and to observe the brave and often noble behavior in them, while I witness the relentless push of biology, the aging and decay, the growth and development, but most especially the healing, both physical and emotional. It is this natural drive of our bodies to repair themselves from all injuries (including the surgeon's wounds) that is the centerpiece of medicine. Without it no surgeon could cut." Written with economy and subtlety, Across the Red Line offers a vivid picture of disease and the miracle of life. It will interest anyone who's ever been on either side of the surgical table.

Richard C. Karl is Connar Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. A frequent contributor to the St. Petersburg Times and a columnist for Flying Magazine, he lives in Tampa.

"Richard Karl appears to be one of those rare surgeons who cares about as well as for his patients, who speaks to them in English, rather than confusing them with complex medical terms, and who in these difficult days still loves surgery. I admire his ability to describe technical matters in simple language. His book is engagingly conversational, and, like many surgeons, he’s a great storyteller."—Joan Cassell, Ph.D., Department of Surgery, Washington Medical School, St. Louis

"[Karl is] a natural storyteller and writer... He writes short, pithy sentences and gives a description of an MRI that should speak for everyone who has survived that procedure. Dr. Karl has an acute sense of patients' rights, and members of Congress would do well to read his book before voting on the matter."—Mary McGrory, The Washington Post

"From the introduction, readers will be struck with how well this book captures the human side of medicine.... It's enlightening to read as Karl eloquently chronicles the sleepless nights spent worrying about patients, the outcomes that were more related to luck than his expertise and the very moving conversations held at the end of life."—Tribune & Times (Tampa, Florida)