Good medical non-fiction book to read?

[DenTony11235]

Does anyone have a favorite book about medical history, or inspirational physician biography?

I figure that as an aspiring physician I should have a solid background about the field I'm getting into and the figures who've been its biggest inspirations.


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[malamia]

Intern: a doctor's initiation

Sandeep Jauhar

!!

 

[deleted407021]

The DOs: Osteopathic Medicine in America

On Call in Hell ---> about a naval battalion surgeon in Fallujah during the first invasion wave back in 2004, I think.

 

[optimistic3]

I have read and loved both "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" as well as "The Emperor of All Maladies."

 

[karayaa]

Does anyone have a favorite book about medical history, or inspirational physician biography?

I figure that as an aspiring physician I should have a solid background about the field I'm getting into and the figures who've been its biggest inspirations.


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Medicine is so big and has such a long history, that your goal ("a solid background") sounds a bit ludicrous.
But this seems to fit your ambitions: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/archive/20120206/hmd/collections/digital/syllabi/

 

[Hospitalized]

Gray's anatomy.

 

[HinduHammer]

Doctors: the biography of medicine

 

[Keladry]

Atul Gawande.

Fiction, but worthwhile: House of God, Samuel Shem.

 

[NickNaylor]

I'm currently reading A History of Psychiatry by Edward Shorter (http://www.amazon.com/History-Psychiatry-Era-Asylum-Prozac/dp/0471245313/), which has been a pretty interesting read.

 

[Overanxious]

Intern by Doctor X, first medical non-fiction i read and totally got me hooked on them. It's an old diary but it is just phenomenal. I also liked And the Band Played on and Emperor of all maladies. The House of God is next up on my list!

 

[mimelim]

I have been stuck in St. Louis for a little while and reread several Atul Gawande books. I'm considering pushing them to be mandatory pre-resident reading at our hospital.

Checklist Manifesto
Complications
Better
Being Moral

9/10 residents that read those books as carefully as they read their textbooks will be better doctors for it.

 

[Leslie_Knope]

Destiny of the Republic if you want to be horrified by what medicine used to be.

 

[LizzyM]

The Knife Man: The Extraordinary Life and Times of John Hunter, Father of Modern Surgery by Wendy Moore

The Lazarus Case: Life-and-Death Issues in Neonatal Intensive Care by John D. Lantos

 

[Goro]

Eleven Blue Men, and Other Narratives of Medical Detection and The Medical Detectives by Berton Roueché

The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter

Does anyone have a favorite book about medical history, or inspirational physician biography?

I figure that as an aspiring physician I should have a solid background about the field I'm getting into and the figures who've been its biggest inspirations.


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[Boolean]

I have been stuck in St. Louis for a little while and reread several Atul Gawande books. I'm considering pushing them to be mandatory pre-resident reading at our hospital.

Checklist Manifesto
Complications
Better
Being Moral

9/10 residents that read those books as carefully as they read their textbooks will be better doctors for it.

Seconding this. Complications and Being Moral are two of my favorite books of all time.

 

[singergirl18]

I am bookmarking this thread for Christmas Break!

 

[AlteredScale]

When the air hits your brain - Frank Vertosick

Doctored: the disillusionment of an American physician - Sandeep Juhaur (so far, one of the best non-fiction medical books I've read)

 

[WaterPog]

Old time makers of medicine by James Walsh.

It was written in 1911 and focuses on ancient era medicine, from roman times forward.

 

[Holmwood]

Medical Apartheid by Harriet Washington.

You would have to take her words with a grain of salt because she does tend to contradict herself and extrapolate alot.
It'll still give you an interesting perspective on why certain communities fear medical professionals and are reluctant to seek care.

 

[ConsultantMD]

Seconding this. Complications and Being Moral are two of my favorite books of all time.

Clarification it is Being Mortal, but moral makes sense too.

 

[Boolean]

Clarification it is Being Mortal, but moral makes sense too.

My bad. I saw the title, I went for it, haha. The Heart of Being: Moral and Ethical Teachings (on that note, of being moral) is among my favorites as well. It's quite nice if you're willing to delve into zen Buddhism.

 

[BodyByChipotle]

I like all the books by Atul Gawande
Also I recommend "The Healing of America". It compares the American healthcare system with the other systems around the world. It was really interesting and actually very entertaing, and something I think is important as we transition into medical school

 

[allantois]

Well you guys convinced me to get The DOs: Osteopathic Medicine in America for iPad

 

[DenTony11235]

Thank you for all your replies guys. I'm gonna do a little background check on each book here and choose one or two to pick up.


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[RTC19]

I have read and loved both "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" as well as "The Emperor of All Maladies."

Damn! You beat me to it.

I will add that I think these two are among the most perspective-changing books I have ever read independent of my physician career aspirations.

As for inspirational physician biographies, I would recommend Hot Lights, Cold Steel and Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, both authored by Dr. Michael J. Collins.

 

[JPA178]

All have been mentioned previously, but these are at the top of my list:

"When The Air Hits Your Brain" by Frank Vertosik, MD - Memoir about Neurosurgery residency/practice
"Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs" by Michael Collilns, MD - Memoir about being a nontraditional applicant in the 70s, working in construction and taking pre-med classes at night, and then going to med school
"Hot Lights, Cold Steel" also by Michael Collins, MD - Memoir about Ortho residency at Mayo in the 70s and 80s

 

[reapplicanthelpme2014]

Well you guys convinced me to get The DOs: Osteopathic Medicine in America for iPad

Where did you get it? Did you purchase it?

 

[allantois]

Where did you get it? Did you purchase it?

I purchased it on Amazon for kindle app on iPad. It's twice as cheaper than getting an actual book.

 

[pyrrion89]

Complications and The Emperor of All Maladies, as already mentioned.

 

[tmn]

Five Patients, Michael Crichton.

 

[Keladry]

Oh, another good one is The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. It's about a little girl from a Hmong family who has epilepsy, and the different cultural understandings of health and disease between her family and her doctors.

Seconded. It really helped make me aware of myself and my assumptions about health & disease, as well as about other cultures, some of which I hadn't even realized I had before.

 

[phunky]

Emperor of All Maladies is my favorite medical non-fiction book. Very well written.

 

[NontradCA]

I have been stuck in St. Louis for a little while and reread several Atul Gawande books. I'm considering pushing them to be mandatory pre-resident reading at our hospital.

Checklist Manifesto
Complications
Better
Being Moral

9/10 residents that read those books as carefully as they read their textbooks will be better doctors for it.

Why is that? I've read them all and I'm curious as to what you think readers are supposed to grasp. Complications is pre M1, and the rest are pre M3 at my school as required readings.

 

[onceawolverine]

I really enjoyed "Hot Lights, Cold Steel," -- full of well-told, amusing and heartbreaking patient stories. Also, if you're interested in cardiac surgery, I thought "king of hearts" was an interesting book as well.

 

[DoctorLacrosse]

I really enjoyed "Hot Lights, Cold Steel," -- full of well-told, amusing and heartbreaking patient stories. Also, if you're interested in cardiac surgery, I thought "king of hearts" was an interesting book as well.

I agree with "Hot Lights, Cold Steel", as well as "Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs", both by Dr. Michael Collins. The first is about an ortho surgeon's journey through residency, and the latter is his journey to and through medical school. Loved both

 

[DenTony11235]

Seems like there's a pretty general consensus on which medical non-fiction books are the most inspiring and perspective shifting.

I just ordered On Call In Hell by Richard Jadick to get the ball rolling.


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[Lost_In_Transcription]

Trauma: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon by Dr. James Cole is excellent.

 

[Garurumon]

Complications and The Emperor of All Maladies, as already mentioned.

Darn, beat me to it. Those two are my favorite medical nonfiction.

 

[sithmoo]

The Illustrated History of Surgery by Knut Haeger
http://amzn.com/1872457002
I'm biased as an ancient history person, but this book describes medical advances over the centuries and is truly entertaining. Like Herodotus, Haeger jumps between topics in an unpredictable way, but it's a fun ride.