Novels about specialties?

[vintik]

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Hey i read "hot lights, cold steel" and i wonder if there are similar books about other specialties, like anesthesiology,etc? thanks.

 

[ZagDoc]

When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick Jr. was an interesting look into neurosurgery in my opinion, and a very quick read (although it definitely reinforces a few stereotypes of neurosurgeons).

Just Here Trying to Save A Few Lives by Pamela Grim was a good taste of trauma medicine and moonlighting as a resident, though it isnt the most uplifting/inspiring of reads. However, its a good look at that area of medicine.

I love anything by Atul Gawande and Complications definitely has some good stories about medical school and general surgery residency that are useful for giving you a feel for it all. Same with Final Exam by Pauline Chen. Both are excellent reads but tend to have bigger issues they tackle with as themes in their books then simply stories of a certain specialty. Both are highly recommended though.

BTW, I loved Hot Lights, Cold Steel. Great read about orthopedics.

 

[Agent Splat]

haven't read it yet, but another neurosurgery one... Another Day in the Frontal Lobe by Katrina Firlik. She's on the cover...and she is CUUUUUUTE!

for psychiatry, I highly recommend One Flew Over the ****oo's Nest. If you're not patient enough for books it's also a very awesome movie. though I'm sure this particular book isn't exactly what you have in mind.

 

[vintik]

thanks! i'll read some of those. but are there no books about derm, rads, or anes?

 

[NCF145]

thanks! i'll read some of those. but are there no books about derm, rads, or anes?

No offense to any dermatologists, radiologists or anesthesiologists, but I don't think any medical narratives about these specialties would be very enthralling. 😴

 

[WiscDoc]

When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick Jr. was an interesting look into neurosurgery in my opinion, and a very quick read (although it definitely reinforces a few stereotypes of neurosurgeons).

Just Here Trying to Save A Few Lives by Pamela Grim was a good taste of trauma medicine and moonlighting as a resident, though it isnt the most uplifting/inspiring of reads. However, its a good look at that area of medicine.

I love anything by Atul Gawande and Complications definitely has some good stories about medical school and general surgery residency that are useful for giving you a feel for it all. Same with Final Exam by Pauline Chen. Both are excellent reads but tend to have bigger issues they tackle with as themes in their books then simply stories of a certain specialty. Both are highly recommended though.

BTW, I loved Hot Lights, Cold Steel. Great read about orthopedics.

Agree

 

[vintik]

No offense to any dermatologists, radiologists or anesthesiologists, but I don't think any medical narratives about these specialties would be very enthralling. 😴

so i guess there arent any.

 

[-Goose-]

When the Air Hits Your Brain by Frank Vertosick is one badass book. Simultaneously funny and philosophical.

 

[MossPoh]

No offense to any dermatologists, radiologists or anesthesiologists, but I don't think any medical narratives about these specialties would be very enthralling. 😴

Anesthesiology can have some serious "oh ****" moments to it.

Radiology..I'm sure a compilation of interesting short stories..but not a daily narrative. I've seen many an interesting thing swallowed.

Derm? Eh...

 

[Agent Splat]

Derm? Eh...

too bad Ed Gein didn't write a book. but he was more of an interior decorator, really.

 

[Ashers]

for psychiatry, I highly recommend One Flew Over the ****oo's Nest. If you're not patient enough for books it's also a very awesome movie. though I'm sure this particular book isn't exactly what you have in mind.

I hated that book, and I had a discussion with the psychiatrist who let me push the button for ECT that the book and movie gave ECT a bad reputation, so now it's a dying art even though it's just as or more effective than meds for depressed patients.

 

[Agent Splat]

I hated that book, and I had a discussion with the psychiatrist who let me push the button for ECT that the book and movie gave ECT a bad reputation, so now it's a dying art even though it's just as or more effective than meds for depressed patients.

too bad it didn't increase awareness and interest in the art like the show Emergency! did for Emergency Medical Services and pre-hospital care.

let it be known that Ashers hated that book so much she also paged me to tell me so.

 

[Ashers]

too bad it didn't increase awareness and interest in the art like the show Emergency! did for Emergency Medical Services and pre-hospital care.

let it be known that Ashers hated that book so much she also paged me to tell me so.

So you take your pager to the library when you study? I figured you'd be actually working. I'm done for the day, and while I should be studying, I think biking sounds like more fun. Especially since it looks like my desk is taken.

 

[Vano]

Doctors by Erich Segal is a nice book, it doesn't focus on any one specialty in particular but has some things about psych, peds, physician assisted suicide, games played behind the scenes by researchers etc.

 

[TheDuck]

Another Day in the Frontal Lobe is an awesome book. It's a very nice read with some cool stories. Bedside Manners is a book that's sort of about medicine in general, but it's written by an internist (he might be a gastroenterologist--I forget). On Call is a great collection of stories from Emily Transue's IM residency. They're separated by year.

 

[Katya00]

too bad Ed Gein didn't write a book. but he was more of an interior decorator, really.

Classic

 

[EMH]

Is no one going to mention The House of God by Samuel Shem? It's an outdated but interesting "classic" on the intern year.

 

[Twitch]

Is no one going to mention The House of God by Samuel Shem? It's an outdated but interesting "classic" on the intern year.

If you have Discovery Health, Saturdays at 10p CST they are starting a show called Doctorology. Each episode looks at a specialty. Next one is up is Cards.

 

[meowkat444]

another vote for another day in the frontal lobe. i couldn't put it down.

 

[cbass1350]

I recommend How We Die by Sherwin Nuland. Especially if you are interested in surgery. Very grim but moving.

 

[Whoop07]

Hearts by Thomas Thompson is an awesome book. It's not in print anymore - it was written in the 70's - but you can buy it used on Amazon etc. It's all about the DeBakey/Cooley heart transplant era.

Mountains Beyond Mountains is a pretty good book as well. Written by Tracy Kidder. I guess you could say it's about IM. It chronicles the life of Dr. Paul Farmer who spends his life serving the poor in other countries - mainly Haiti if I remember correctly.

 

[pmdc222]

Is no one going to mention The House of God by Samuel Shem? It's an outdated but interesting "classic" on the intern year.

Rule #2: GOMERS GO TO GROUND.

 

[MossPoh]

too bad Ed Gein didn't write a book. but he was more of an interior decorator, really.

Nice reference...props to you for that.

Oh. I'm reading "Knife Man" which is the biography of John Hunter, as well as a general description of medical education in the past.. It is interesting if you are into medical history stuff, as well as what surgery USED to be like. Amazing to learn about the lengths people used to go through to learn anatomy and study medicine. At least people don't have to steal bodies now.

 

[learss]

The Woman with a Worm in Her Head by Pamela Nagami. Dr. Nagami is an infectious disease specialist. Extremely fascinating book looking at different types of diseases that she has encountered. She also wrote Bitten, which talks about animal bites.
On the subject of infectious diseases, I would also recommend the book, The Great Influenza by John Barry. Detailed account of the 1918 influenza pandemic.

Other great books:
Gifted Hands by Ben Carson Autobiography of a neurosurgeon
Baby ER by Edward Humes Looks at a neonatal intensive care unit in California

 

[tulane06]

Awakenings by Oliver Sacks.

 

[smq123]

I hated that book, and I had a discussion with the psychiatrist who let me push the button for ECT that the book and movie gave ECT a bad reputation, so now it's a dying art even though it's just as or more effective than meds for depressed patients.

I also had a similar discussion after watching ECT a few weeks ago. (I also got to push the button.) The psychiatrist who supervised everything said that the movie version of "One Flew Over the ****oo's Nest" actually depicts frontal lobotomy, not ECT. It's unfortunately really confused a lot of people, so he's had numerous discussions with patients who are afraid that he's trying to turn them into "zombies."

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

I was reading a book called "Walk on Water" before I moved. Unfortunately, I lost the book in the move and I never got to finish it and I'm too cheap to replace it when it'll turn up anyday I'm sure.

Anyway, it's about this pediatric cardiac surgeon. This guy works on kids with congenital heart defects and for some reason his success rate is absurdly high compared to others in his profession. What I read was very interesting and also included a lot of other doctors who are on his team like Pediatric Cardiologists and Peds ICU docs.

 

[Vano]

I read Hot Lights, Cold Steel after reading this thread. Great book, with not only basic accounts of incidents but with all the psychology and author's maturation as a physician; though could he have said that Mayo Clinic is one of the best/the best place for residency in the world any more times? He does it few times every chapter😀

 

[ZagDoc]

I was reading a book called "Walk on Water" before I moved. Unfortunately, I lost the book in the move and I never got to finish it and I'm too cheap to replace it when it'll turn up anyday I'm sure.

Anyway, it's about this pediatric cardiac surgeon. This guy works on kids with congenital heart defects and for some reason his success rate is absurdly high compared to others in his profession. What I read was very interesting and also included a lot of other doctors who are on his team like Pediatric Cardiologists and Peds ICU docs.

Halfway through Walk on Water. I've wanted to be a pediatric cardiac surgeon for most of my life so its interesting to see it presented from a self-described layperson. Talked to several surgeons myself but its interesting to see another perspective on it.

I'd recommend it to people interested in any specialty. Definitely a cool insight into the hectic life of medicine.

 

[Blade28]

If you want another outstanding book on General Surgery, I highly recommend Atul Gawande's "Complications."

 

[gallbladder2]

the two best books to read are:

The House of God by Samuel Shem,MD

and

Doctors by Erich Segal

by these and don't read any others

see my review on medschoolrocks

 

[adoggie]

I highly, highly recommend Arrowsmith. It's on bacteriology.

 

[-Goose-]

Halfway through Walk on Water. I've wanted to be a pediatric cardiac surgeon for most of my life so its interesting to see it presented from a self-described layperson. Talked to several surgeons myself but its interesting to see another perspective on it.

I'd recommend it to people interested in any specialty. Definitely a cool insight into the hectic life of medicine.

Really? I wasn't a big fan of the way this book was written. It seemed so repetitive and never went anywhere. Interesting for about 100 pages or so, though...

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

Is no one going to mention The House of God by Samuel Shem? It's an outdated but interesting "classic" on the intern year.

The sequel Mount Misery deals with the protagonist's Psychology residency.

Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat is a good book of short stories about neurological conditions.

 

[Leo Valiente]

Hey i read "hot lights, cold steel" and i wonder if there are similar books about other specialties, like anesthesiology,etc? thanks.

This novel is not about a specialty but a condition. It tells the story of a morbidly obese patient's struggles with his weight by the analogy of living through hell.

Prisoner 521

 

[Peach Newport]

House of God is a goddam hilarious book, which *almost* made me want to be an internist.