Essential Pre-Med Reads

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doctorFred

doctorFred

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in a previous post, someone mentioned "Complications" as one of the pre-med must reads, so i decided to start a thread where we can compile a list of such books. please try to keep this list to the essentials (and dealing with medicine, presumably!). simply add books to the list the same way you add schools to the acceptance/rejection threads. sort of a 'summer reading' list for those getting ready to don the short white coats in the fall. i'll put complications on here, as well as another classic, phantoms in the brain (an absolute staple for psychology, neuroanatomy, and psychophysiolgy.)

Pre-Med Reading Essentials

Complications by Atul Gawande, M.D.
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran, M.D.
 
I HAVE to second Phantoms in the Brain by VS Ramachandran MD.

He is an amazing man, quite the genius, and I even had to luck to hear him speak on the subject of phantom limbs in addition to the workings of the brain's sensory pathways. He explores various brain-related syndromes, diseases, and ailments and the way it manifests in people, and how the brain has more "power" than some might believe in terms of shaping the way we creatively think and process information as humans.

Ramachandran also has the gift of conveying such complicated ideas through unconvoluted language and has such a hilarious sense of humor that it makes the book fascinating from start to finish. I think this ought to be a must-read for people interested in medicine, particularly neuroscience. He's awesome, and I promise it'll be worth your time!
 
eshanim said:
I HAVE to second Phantoms in the Brain by VS Ramachandran MD.

He is an amazing, quite the genius, and I even had to luck to hear him speak on the subject of phantom limbs in addition to the workings of the brain's sensory pathways. He explores various brain-related syndromes, diseases, and ailments and the way it manifests in people, and how the brain has more "power" than some might believe in terms of shaping the way we creatively think and process information as humans.

Ramachandran also has the gift of conveying such complicated ideas through unconvoluted language and has such a hilarious sense of humor that it makes the book fascinating from start to finish. I think this ought to be a must-read for people interested in medicine, particularly neuroscience. He's awesome, and I promise it'll be worth your time!
Click to expand...

If people are interested, Ramachandran's 2003 Reith's lectures are available in audio and text:here
 
DocteurMarion said:
The intern blues - Robert Marion
Click to expand...

That's like the anti-premed read. If you're pre-med or a med student, you should probably avoid it unless you want to depress/scare yourself. :laugh: Save it for when you're a resident and can look back and remember when.
 
Emergency Doctor: Lewis Goldfrank, MD
-some cases that he's had, pretty interesting

Singular Intimacies: Danielle Ofri, MD
Incidental Findings: Danielle Ofri, MD
-these focus on becoming a good doctor, seen through her patient interactions

I highly recommend these three 🙂
 
Pre-Med Reading Essentials

Complications by Atul Gawande, M.D.
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran, M.D.
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank, M.D.
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri, M.D.
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion, M.D.
 
I loved Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder. It was maybe the most inspiring thing I've ever read!
 
on call by emily transue. it reads just like a scrubs episode; wit, confrontation, passion, moral.
 
Gifted Hands
By Dr. Benjamin Carson



Green Eggs and Ham

By Dr. Seuss

:meanie:
 
sunnyjohn said:
Gifted Hands
By Dr. Benjamin Carson



Green Eggs and Ham

By Dr. Seuss

:meanie:
Click to expand...

I love green eggs and ham, no book teaches you better about bedside manner/ethics than Green Eggs and Ham!!! Sam-I-am is a very patient, persistent doctor. 😀
 
We can't forget The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks MD
 
time to recompile it. please: when you add to the list, hit the reply button, erase the quotes, and add your book at the bottom. thanks!

Pre-Med Reading Essentials

Complications by Atul Gawande, M.D.
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran, M.D.
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank, M.D.
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri, M.D.
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion, M.D.
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson, M.D.
On Call by Emily Transue, M.D.
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick, M.D.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks, M.D.
 
Pre-Med Reading Essentials

Complications by Atul Gawande, M.D.
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran, M.D.
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank, M.D.
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri, M.D.
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion, M.D.
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson, M.D.
On Call by Emily Transue, M.D.
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick, M.D.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks, M.D.
The House of God by Samuel Shem
 
Here are some books that I pulled out of the Appendix of the Introduction :

Kill as Few Patients as Possible Oscar London 089815197X
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives Pamela Grim 0446524239
Mount Misery Samuel Shem 0804115559
On Call Emily Transue 0312324839
On Doctoring Richard Reynolds 0743201531
The House of God Samuel Shem 0385337388
What I Learned in Medical School Kevin Takakuwa 0520239369
What Patients Taught Me Audrey Young 1570613966
 
Pre-Med Reading Essentials

Complications by Atul Gawande, M.D.
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran, M.D.
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank, M.D.
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri, M.D.
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion, M.D.
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson, M.D.
On Call by Emily Transue, M.D.
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick, M.D.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks, M.D.
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Kill as Few Patients as Possible by Oscar London
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Livesby Pamela Grim
Mount Misery by Samuel Shem
On Doctoring by Richard Reynolds
The House of God by Samuel Shem
What I Learned in Medical School by Kevin Takakuwa
What Patients Taught Me by Audrey Young
 
I notice that you're using "MD" after the names of some of the authors. Grim and Reynolds are MD's and Shem is an MD/PhD. I would imagine that all of the rest of the names are also physicians.

On a side note: Dr. Reynolds (the editor for "On Doctoring") is an amazing character. He's probably in his 70's and still practicing. He and I work at the same hospital and he's incredibly nice to students. He even presided over our white coat ceremony.
 
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
The Demon in the Freezer By Richard Preston

The Doctor Stories by Richard Selzer
Letters to a Young Doctor by Richard Selzer

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

--------------------
BTW, 'When the Air Hits Your Brain' and 'Complications' were both very good.
 
ms1finally said:
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Click to expand...

Nobody added this to the list (neither am I, I guess), but it's a very good book about language and cultural barriers.

It's by Anne Fadiman (sp?)
 
Pre-Med Reading Essentials

Complications by Atul Gawande
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson
On Call by Emily Transue
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Kill as Few Patients as Possible by Oscar London
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Livesby Pamela Grim
On Doctoring by Richard Reynolds
The House of God by Samuel Shem
What I Learned in Medical School by Kevin Takakuwa
What Patients Taught Me by Audrey Young
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter
Letters to a Young Doctor by Richard Selzer
The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston

bumped, recompiled and edited by popular demand. to add to the list, quote this message, remove the quote blocks, and add your title in the given format.
 
"Saturday" by Ian McEwan. An excellent book with a medical bent, but a great read in general
 
Pre-Med Reading Essentials

Complications by Atul Gawande
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson
On Call by Emily Transue
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Kill as Few Patients as Possible by Oscar London
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Livesby Pamela Grim
On Doctoring by Richard Reynolds
The House of God by Samuel Shem
What I Learned in Medical School by Kevin Takakuwa
What Patients Taught Me by Audrey Young
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter
Letters to a Young Doctor by Richard Selzer
The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston
The Lost Art of Healing by Dr. Bernard Lown
 
Pre-Med Reading Essentials

Complications by Atul Gawande
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson
On Call by Emily Transue
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Kill as Few Patients as Possible by Oscar London
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Livesby Pamela Grim
On Doctoring by Richard Reynolds
The House of God by Samuel Shem
What I Learned in Medical School by Kevin Takakuwa
What Patients Taught Me by Audrey Young
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter
Letters to a Young Doctor by Richard Selzer
The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston
The Lost Art of Healing by Dr. Bernard Lown
The Art of Medicine: What Every Doctor and Patient Should Know by Kevin J. Soden

I've been passing my copy of "The Art of Medicine " around to all of my pre-med friends, after I couldn't put it down myself! I highly recommend it! Check out the link above for a little more background on the book.

-Pismo
 
These two are more along the lines of preparing-for-interview-questions reading but are still fantastic=
"Understanding Health Policy" by Thomas S. Bodenheimer
"Classic Cases in Medical Ethics" by Gregory Pence
 
Pre-Med Reading Essentials

Complications by Atul Gawande
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson
On Call by Emily Transue
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Kill as Few Patients as Possible by Oscar London
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Livesby Pamela Grim
On Doctoring by Richard Reynolds
The House of God by Samuel Shem
What I Learned in Medical School by Kevin Takakuwa
What Patients Taught Me by Audrey Young
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter
Letters to a Young Doctor by Richard Selzer
The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
The Lost Art of Healing by Dr. Bernard Lown
The Art of Medicine: What Every Doctor and Patient Should Know by Kevin J. Soden
And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto
Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis
Internal Bleeding : The Truth Behind America's Terrifying Epidemic of Medical Mistakes by Robert M. Wachter and Kaveh Shojania
 
I also have to say that I despise the book The Lost Art of Healing. In fact I've written quite a long, negative book review of it. If anybody is interested I can send it to them. It's too long to post, though, because most people would probably just be annoyed by my taking up space 😛
 
tigress said:
I also have to say that I despise the book The Lost Art of Healing. In fact I've written quite a long, negative book review of it. If anybody is interested I can send it to them. It's too long to post, though, because most people would probably just be annoyed by my taking up space 😛
Click to expand...

Hey, you also poo pooed one of my book suggestions (David Sedaris) in another thread a while back! You like to poo poo on books, don't you? ..... uhh, I didn't mean it like that.
 
jmnykrkts said:
Hey, you also poo pooed one of my book suggestions (David Sedaris) in another thread a while back! You like to poo poo on books, don't you? ..... uhh, I didn't mean it like that.
Click to expand...

lol, this is funny, because one of the reasons I don't like David Sedaris is because of this horrible poop story he read on NPR. ugh, it's so gross.

nothing personal, I promise! 🙂
 
tigress said:
lol, this is funny, because one of the reasons I don't like David Sedaris is because of this horrible poop story he read on NPR. ugh, it's so gross.

nothing personal, I promise! 🙂
Click to expand...

Yeah, but 'You Can't Kill The Rooster' is pure genius, c'mon. There simply is no arguing with that.
 
Pre-Med Reading Essentials

Complications by Atul Gawande
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson
On Call by Emily Transue
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Kill as Few Patients as Possible by Oscar London
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives by Pamela Grim
On Doctoring by Richard Reynolds
The House of God by Samuel Shem
What I Learned in Medical School by Kevin Takakuwa
What Patients Taught Me by Audrey Young
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter
Letters to a Young Doctor by Richard Selzer
The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
The Lost Art of Healing by Dr. Bernard Lown
The Art of Medicine: What Every Doctor and Patient Should Know by Kevin J. Soden
And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto
Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis
Internal Bleeding : The Truth Behind America's Terrifying Epidemic of Medical Mistakes by Robert M. Wachter and Kaveh Shojania
Death Without Weeping by Nancy Scheper-Hughes
 
Complications by Atul Gawande
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson
On Call by Emily Transue
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Kill as Few Patients as Possible by Oscar London
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives by Pamela Grim
On Doctoring by Richard Reynolds
The House of God by Samuel Shem
What I Learned in Medical School by Kevin Takakuwa
What Patients Taught Me by Audrey Young
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter
Letters to a Young Doctor by Richard Selzer
The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
The Lost Art of Healing by Dr. Bernard Lown
The Art of Medicine: What Every Doctor and Patient Should Know by Kevin J. Soden
And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto
Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis
Internal Bleeding : The Truth Behind America's Terrifying Epidemic of Medical Mistakes by Robert M. Wachter and Kaveh Shojania
Death Without Weeping by Nancy Scheper-Hughes
Blind Eye by James Stewart
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach


Blind Eye is a true story that documents the failure of the medical establishment to stop a sociopathic doctor from killing patients and poisoning colleagues. On a lighter note, Stiff is a hilarious (yet respectful) look at the history of cadavers and all their uses.
 
Complications by Atul Gawande
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson
On Call by Emily Transue
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Kill as Few Patients as Possible by Oscar London
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives by Pamela Grim
On Doctoring by Richard Reynolds
The House of God by Samuel Shem
What I Learned in Medical School by Kevin Takakuwa
What Patients Taught Me by Audrey Young
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter
Letters to a Young Doctor by Richard Selzer
The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
The Lost Art of Healing by Dr. Bernard Lown
The Art of Medicine: What Every Doctor and Patient Should Know by Kevin J. Soden
And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto
Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis
Internal Bleeding : The Truth Behind America's Terrifying Epidemic of Medical Mistakes by Robert M. Wachter and Kaveh Shojania
Death Without Weeping by Nancy Scheper-Hughes
Blind Eye by James Stewart
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Hot Lights, Cold Steel by Michael Collins
-I actually read this as an MSI, but if you're interested in medicine (especially surgery) you'll probably love it as a premed. About a guy's years as an ortho resident...one of the best books I've read in a while.


------------------------------
http://ipods.freepay.com/?r=21779090
 
Oh hey, I thought Hot Lights, Cold Steel was already on the list! Well, I second the nomination. I particularly liked the fact that he kept having kids all the time. 😛
 
Well here is another list, maybe someone can merge them together? Do it.


1. The House of God
2. The Diagnosis of Acute Abdomen in Rhyme.
4. When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales of Neurosurgery
5. A Case of Need
6.Francis Conley- Walking out on the Boys
7.Sherwin B. Nuland- The Wisdom of the Body (also titled "How
We Live)
8.Sherwin B. Nuland- How We Die
9.The man who mistook his wife for a hat, by Oliver Sacks
10.The strange case of the walking cadaver, by nancy butcher
12.timeline, by michael crichton
13.The Intern Blues by Robert Marion, M.D.
14.Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives by Pamela Grim, M.D.
15. The Scalpel and the Silver Bear, Lori Alvord, MD
16. Health and Healing, Andrew Weil, MD
18. Darshak Sangavi, "A Map of the Child"
19.Terminal, Robin Cook
20. The Lost Art of Healing : Practicing Compassion in Medicine
by Bernard Lown
24. the elegant universe by brian greene
27. Walk On Water: Inside an Elite Pediatric Surgical Unit by Michael Ruhlman
28. The Language of Cells: A Doctor and His Patients by Spencer Nadler
29. Becoming a Doctor by Melvin Konner
30. The Ditchdigger's Daughters by Yvonne S. Thornton, MD
31. The Dressing Station by Jonathan Kaplan
32. Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World, by Tracy Kidder
33. Delivering Doctor Amelia: The Story of a Gifted Young Obstetrician's Mistake and the Psychologist Who Helped Her, Dan Shapiro
34. Surviving the Extremes, A Doctor's Journey to the Limits of Human Endurance. Kenneth Kamler
35: Travels and/or Five Patients, by Michael Crichton
36: Driving mR. Albert, by Michael Paterniti.
37: On Doctoring, edited by Richard Reynolds and John Stone.
38: The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon
39: The Ultimate Guide To Choosing a Medical Specialty by Brian, Md. Freeman
40. Letters to a Young Doctor
41: Pathologies of Power - Paul Farmer's latest, following up #32
44. Kitchen Table Wisdom by Dr. Rachel Remen counsels cancer patients
45. Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by Dr. Christiane Northrup -very good reference book and very informative
46. Tuesdays with Morrie
53. King of Hearts: The True Story of the Maverick Who Pioneered Open Heart Surgery
54. A Not Entirely Benign Procedure: Four Years as a Medical Student by Perri Klass
55. young "what my patients taught me" - great for anyone who wants to go to UW
56. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down - Anne Fadiman (sp?)
 
Complications by Atul Gawande
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson
On Call by Emily Transue
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Kill as Few Patients as Possible by Oscar London
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives by Pamela Grim
On Doctoring by Richard Reynolds
The House of God by Samuel Shem
What I Learned in Medical School by Kevin Takakuwa
What Patients Taught Me by Audrey Young
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter
Letters to a Young Doctor by Richard Selzer
The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
The Lost Art of Healing by Dr. Bernard Lown
The Art of Medicine: What Every Doctor and Patient Should Know by Kevin J. Soden
And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto
Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis
Internal Bleeding : The Truth Behind America's Terrifying Epidemic of Medical Mistakes by Robert M. Wachter and Kaveh Shojania
Death Without Weeping by Nancy Scheper-Hughes
Blind Eye by James Stewart
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Hot Lights, Cold Steel by Michael Collins
-I actually read this as an MSI, but if you're interested in medicine (especially surgery) you'll probably love it as a premed. About a guy's years as an ortho resident...one of the best books I've read in a while.
Walk on Water--Michael Ruhlman: Inside an elite pediatric surgical unit.


------------------------------
http://ipods.freepay.com/?r=21779090
 
Complications by Atul Gawande
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson
On Call by Emily Transue
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Kill as Few Patients as Possible by Oscar London
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives by Pamela Grim
On Doctoring by Richard Reynolds
The House of God by Samuel Shem
What I Learned in Medical School by Kevin Takakuwa
What Patients Taught Me by Audrey Young
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter
Letters to a Young Doctor by Richard Selzer
The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
The Lost Art of Healing by Dr. Bernard Lown
The Art of Medicine: What Every Doctor and Patient Should Know by Kevin J. Soden
And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto
Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis
Internal Bleeding : The Truth Behind America's Terrifying Epidemic of Medical Mistakes by Robert M. Wachter and Kaveh Shojania
Death Without Weeping by Nancy Scheper-Hughes
Blind Eye by James Stewart
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Hot Lights, Cold Steel by Michael Collins
-I actually read this as an MSI, but if you're interested in medicine (especially surgery) you'll probably love it as a premed. About a guy's years as an ortho resident...one of the best books I've read in a while.
Walk on Water--Michael Ruhlman: Inside an elite pediatric surgical unit.
Betrayal of Trust: the Collapse of Global Public Health by Laurie Garrett

For those of you interested in MD/MPH. The Coming Plague (same author: Laurie Garrett) is also good, but a bit outdated for the stats these days.
 
IDforMe said:
For those of you interested in MD/MPH. The Coming Plague (same author: Laurie Garrett) is also good, but a bit outdated for the stats these days.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's an awesome book. Also Virus X by Frank Ryan.

Okay, I'm going to look at the two lists and try to merge them, and also fix a few things (On Doctoring is edited by Richard Reynolds and John Stone, and before anybody rushes out to get it from the library or buy it, be aware that a copy is given to most (if not all) incoming medical students in the US).

Why am I doing this list thing? hmm...well, it's Sunday morning and my husband has a test tomorrow and it's more fun that laundry or housecleaning :laugh:
 
Can anyone recommend a good book on medical ethics?
 
okay guys, I want to make the complete list of medical books recommended by sdn. But where should I draw the line between medical and non-medical? Tuesdays with Morrie, for example, is on the old list. Should I keep it on? Is it sufficiently related to our future as doctors to be on the list? I see both ways. On the one hand, it's good to have a variety to look at things from different perspectives. On the other hand, if the net is too big the list will be too long and somewhat useless.

Any suggestions? Particularly I'm wondering about the following books, which I either don't know anything about or I'm not sure whether to include:

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Driving Mr. Albert by Michael Paterniti
The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
The Ditchdigger's Daughters by Yvonne S. Thornton, MD
The Dressing Station by Jonathan Kaplan
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
Tuesdays with Morrie
Walking out on the Boys by Francis Conley
 
ASHoNE isn't medical, but it's popular science. And awesome. I vote for keeping it.
The Elegant Universe is an extremely well written overview of pretty much all the astrophysics we know/think we know right now. I loved it. Don't know if it belongs on this list or not. . .
Driving Mr. Albert is about what happened to Einstein's brain after he died . . . I haven't read it, so I can't really make a judgement, but that's a little more info I guess.
The other ones I have no idea about. 🙂
 
thanks seilienne! I actually added ASHoNE to the list because I think it's awesome. I'm just not sure where to draw the line between science and medicine, you know?
 
Indeed. Maybe toss Universe out since it's all astrophysics. . .

Oh, and apparently "War Hospital" by Sheri Fink is good too, but I haven't managed to reach it in my pile of 'stuff to read' yet.
 
Another to ask about: A Case of Need by Michael Crichton. Medically related, yes, but also fiction/thriller. Does it belong on the list?
 
Complications by Atul Gawande
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank
Singular Intimacies and Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson
On Call by Emily Transue
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks
The House of God by Samuel Shem
Kill as Few Patients as Possible by Oscar London
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives by Pamela Grim
On Doctoring by Richard Reynolds
The House of God by Samuel Shem
What I Learned in Medical School by Kevin Takakuwa
What Patients Taught Me by Audrey Young
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter
Letters to a Young Doctor by Richard Selzer
The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
The Lost Art of Healing by Dr. Bernard Lown
The Art of Medicine: What Every Doctor and Patient Should Know by Kevin J. Soden
And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto
Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis
Internal Bleeding : The Truth Behind America's Terrifying Epidemic of Medical Mistakes by Robert M. Wachter and Kaveh Shojania
Death Without Weeping by Nancy Scheper-Hughes
Blind Eye by James Stewart
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Hot Lights, Cold Steel by Michael Collins
Walk on Water--Michael Ruhlman: Inside an elite pediatric surgical unit.
Betrayal of Trust: the Collapse of Global Public Health by Laurie Garrett
The Plague by Albert Camus

it's also fiction, but the plague rivals house of god as the greatest medical work of fiction ever. it's on my non-pre-med essential reads list as well.
 
Well, if that goes on there, then anything by Robin Cook should as well. I've read all of 'em, but I wouldn't say they're essential.
 
A Map of the Child by Darshak Sangavi
A Not Entirely Benign Procedure by Perri Klass
And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts
Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis
As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto
Becoming a Doctor by Melvin Konner
Betrayal of Trust: the Collapse of Global Public Health by Laurie Garrett
Blind Eye by James Stewart
Complications by Atul Gawande
Death Without Weeping by Nancy Scheper-Hughes
Delivering Doctor Amelia by Dan Shapiro
Driving Mr. Albert by Michael Paterniti
Emergency Doctor by Lewis Goldfrank
Five Patients by Michael Crichton
Gifted Hands by Benjamin Carson
Health and Healing by Andrew Weil, MD
Hot Lights, Cold Steel by Michael Collins
How We Die by Sherwin B. Nuland
Incidental Findings by Danielle Ofri
Internal Bleeding by Robert M. Wachter and Kaveh Shojania
Just Here Trying to Save a Few Lives by Pamela Grim, MD
Kill as Few Patients as Possible by Oscar London
King of Hearts by G. Wayne Miller
Kitchen Table Wisdom by Dr. Rachel Remen
Letters to a Young Doctor by Richard Selzer
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
On Call by Emily Transue
On Doctoring edited by Richard Reynolds, MD, and John Stone, MD
Pathologies of Power by Paul Farmer
Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran
Singular Intimacies: Becoming a Doctor at Bellevue by Danielle Ofri
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Surviving the Extremes by Kenneth Kamler
The Art of Medicine by Kevin J. Soden
The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett
The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston
The Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen in Rhyme by Zachary Cope
The Dressing Station by Jonathan Kaplan
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
The House of God by Samuel Shem
The Intern Blues by Robert Marion
The Language of Cells: A Doctor and His Patients by Spencer Nadler
The Lost Art of Healing by Dr. Bernard Lown
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat by Oliver Sacks
The Plague by Albert Camus
The Scalpel and the Silver Bear by Lori Alvord, MD
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman
The Strange Case of the Walking Cadaver by Nancy Butcher
The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty by Brian Freeman, MD
The Wisdom of the Body (also titled How We Live) by Sherwin B. Nuland
Travels by Michael Crichton
Virus X by Frank Ryan
Walk on Water: Inside an Elite Pediatric Surgical Unit by Michael Ruhlman
Walking Out on the Boys by Francis Conley
What I Learned in Medical School by Kevin Takakuwa
What Patients Taught Me by Audrey Young
When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick
Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by Dr. Christiane Northrup
 
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