The Atheist's Mass

The Athiest's Mass, Honore de Balzac's classic story, places us in the world of early 19th century medicine and surgery, discussing how one practitioner of such has devised his very own mass.


Published in the 1830s, at a time when medical advancements were proceeding apace, Balzac's fictional tale places us in a surgery where the operations fueling scientific progress occurred. The physician Bianchon is ostensibly an atheist, in keeping with the community of like-minded doctors and surgeon...