The life and legacy of the Worcestershire surgeon who revolutionised medical sterilisation through the use of iodine is being brought to life in a new historical novel, with a special soft-launch event at The Hive.
Born in 1860, Lionel Stretton served as a surgeon in Kidderminster, where he performed thousands of operations and pioneered the use of Tincture of Iodine to sterilise the skin, a breakthrough that went on to influence medical practice and save lives around the world.
His remarkable story is now being retold by author Adrian Hobart in the series of books titled 27 Church Street, named after the address of Lionel’s home and surgery in Kidderminster.
The first book in the series, The Gathering Storm, will be previewed at The Hive at 18:30 on Thursday 30 April, with a limited number of free tickets available to the public.
At the event, Lionel’s great-grandson Chris Stretton will give an illustrated talk about the surgeon’s life, work, and enduring legacy. The event will also include an author talk, a reading from the novel, and an audience Q&A.
While firmly grounded in real events, the novel also uses some dramatic embellishments to bring the period, the characters, and the tension of the era to life.
Adrian Hobart, the book’s author, said: “The biggest challenge in writing this book was that if you stay completely faithful to the history, it can get in the way of the drama. To tell the story properly, I had to move a few events around, adjust timelines, and bring characters together so they interacted with the same intensity of purpose.”
“For instance, Lionel made his discovery in 1909, so the novel is set in 1910 when he’s already using it, but his son John wasn’t yet a surgeon at that point, so I brought his career forward to allow him to take part in the story,” he added.
This special preview at The Hive precedes the formal launch of the book by Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier at Kidderminster Town Hall on 11 July. This is the first instalment of a series which will be released under the name 27 Church Street.
Adrian said: “It became obvious that this could never just be one book. I got to a certain point and the editor stepped in and said ‘you’ve reached the perfect end point for the first novel!’, so we left it on a cliffhanger, with book two picking up the next stage of the story.”
The Stretton family name remains deeply connected to the future of medicine. Through the John Weston Stretton of Kidderminster charity, bursaries continue to be awarded to medical students at St Barts and the London School of Medicine, the University of Cambridge, and the Three Counties Medical School at the University of Worcester, supporting the next generation of clinicians in honour of Lionel’s pioneering contributions.
“Early reception to the book has been overwhelmingly positive,” Adrian said: “The reaction from the early readers has been that they want books two and three now! One of them read it in 24 hours, and we’ve been pleased to see it enjoying popularity with people who wouldn’t ordinarily choose historical fiction.”
He added: “The universal reaction has been that they read it quickly and immediately wanted part two!”
More information on the Stretton family can be found at the Archives at the Hive. Contact the team there for more information.