'Advice to a Young Physician'offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of post Restoration and early eighteenth-century medicine. For the first time, a document prepared by the Lichfield physician, Sir John Floyer for his grandson has been retrieved from the Library of The Queen's College Oxford. Transcribed, and edited, it is now published in this attractive and accessible form. The document itself is prefaced by a very informative introduction and illustrated by a great range of well-chosen and reproduced images. Floyer was in residence at Oxford during the great burst of scientific activity that followed the Restoration, and had links with Boyle and Robert Hooke, among other pioneers of modern science. In Floyer's thinking, as demonstrated in this book, we see a contest or mingling between archaic ideas (such as the more or less medieval notion that appropriate medicines reveal themselves by their tastes) and pioneering and modern conceptions. Floyer remarks, for instance, that England lacks hospital training for doctors and recommends that his grandson go abroad to gain first-hand clinical experience. He was one of the first to tabulate medical results and - most famously - to pioneer the taking of the pulse. The book contains three central chapters in which Floyer offers remarks on what we would now call the ethics of medical practice. These are illuminating and would still, in many instances hold good today
Advice to the Young Physician introduces the origins of important teachings that form the basis of medicine as it has been taught by some of history's greatest educators in medicine. Advice to the Young Physician reveals how to make the transition from technician to healer. This book reinforces the humanistic side of patient care, which is often overshadowed by the focus on highly technological elements. Medical students, residents, fellows, physicians, and allied health practitioners often forget the intricacies of the genomic makeup of adenoviruses, yet they remember the tips, anecdotes and aphorisms related by mentors, educators, and experienced physicians. The art of medicine comes from insights gained from unique and dynamic experiences between the physician, an enthusiastic medical student and the human patient, and is rarely found in books or taught in a universal and systematic way. Advice to the Young Physician provides numerous examples of best practices in order to internalize and practice the art of medicine, including tenets taught by Hippocrates, Maimonides, Osler, Peabody, Schweitzer and others. Advice to the Young Physician targets aspiring and new physicians with the intent to make them better physicians. It hits the mark. An effective mix of the writings of some of medicine's giants, as well as clinical experiences of the author, the book offers an historical framework and personal context to understand the attributes and attitudes of the good physician. It is a quick read that rewards the reader with a sampling of 4000 years of medical wisdom sprinkled with practical advice for the modern day doctor. --Richard G. Roberts, MD, JD, Professor of Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, President World Organization of Family Doctors, Past President American Academy of Family Physicians This is a small book and easy to read. It comprises several inspiring sketches of ancient and modern physicians whose reputations were based as much on their dedication to the humanism of medicine as it was to the science of medicine. Those who teach medical students and residents will find it a good source of medical history that, besides being important in itself, will add a new dimension and a little lightness to morning rounds. The author makes it clear that in our era of high technology it is easy to underestimate the importance of uniting humanism with science in caring for the sick. He also provides some practical information on such topics as how to present a case to attending physicians and how to communicate well with patients. The ancient physicians that history remembers were not only astute observers of signs and symptoms but also were deeply concerned about the psychological health of their patients and how disturbances in their emotional health often manifested in physical symptoms. Colgan starts with Hippocrates and Maimonides whose names many young physicians are familiar with. The former for the aphorism “first do no harm” and the latter for being one of the first to call medicine a “vocation” and a “calling.” The following “greats” are included in the book: Dr Albert Schweitzer whose “reverence for life” led him to his missionary medical work in Africa. He wrote Out of My Life and Thought and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. Sir William Osler (1849–1919), known to some as the father of internal medicine, was a respected physician and teacher. He was the author of the Principles and Practice of Medicine, used for decades as the bible of medicine. But his fame rested equally on his dedication as a mentor to young physicians. He often gave graduation addresses to medical students reminding them to maintain a life-long interest in continuous learning and to treat the whole patient not just the disease. Francis Weld Peabody (1881–1927) a teacher at Harvard who had written a book The Care of the Patient in which he discussed how older practitioners often complained that younger doctors’ mindsets were so often over-concerned with testing that they sometimes forgot about how to take care of the whole patient. Dr. Theodore E. Woodward (1914–2005) who was famous for his dedication to patients. Once during a snowstorm he hitched a ride on a snowplow to see his patients at the hospital. He is responsible for the epigram “when you hear hoof beats think of horses not zebras.” Dr Edmund Pellegrino, respected for his studies in bioethics. His interest in protecting the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship has particular importance in our current era when it seems that the art of medicine seems to be overshadowed by the business of medicine. He discusses this in his essay “The Commodification of Medical and Health Care.” Dr. Paul Farmer also is deeply concerned with the ethical ramifications of the commercialization that is overtaking the health system. He is devoted to improving public health on a worldwide scale. The author finishes up with some practical tips such as how to take a good history and how to avoid malpractice suits. He mentions the importance of finding a reasonable balance between our personal and professional lives. To offset the pressures that are sure to arise in caring for patients he reminds us as, Osler said, to look for the “poetry in life,” meaning to really try and understand the human side of the patients we treat. Throughout the book Colgan refers to doctors as “healers.” He suggests that healers are those who rise above the merely technical aspects of their craft and connect with patients in a special way—a way that respects their uniqueness and their human nature. It’s hard to describe in scientific terms what a healer is. As the author points out, most doctors know them when they see them. Edward J. Volpintesta, MD Bethe
“Humorous, poignant, provocative and educational,” this essay collection by a doctor “offer[s] fresh takes on the ever-changing field of medicine.” (Kirkus Reviews) Doctor and medical columnist John Launer has written on the practice and teaching of medicine for many years. How Not to be a Doctor includes over fifty of his essays covering a range of topics including music, poetry, literature, and psychoanalysis, as well as contemporary medical politics and the personal experiences of being a doctor. Taken together, they set out an argument that being a doctor—a real doctor—should mean being able to draw on every aspect of yourself, your interests, and your experiences, however remote these may seem from the medical task of the moment. From lessons on what they don't teach you in medical school to the author's poignant account of being a patient himself as he received treatment for a life-threatening illness, the essays in How Not to Be a Doctor combine erudition with humor, candor, and the human touch that will inform and entertain readers on both ends of the stethoscope. “Witty and wise. Shows how important it is that doctors are allowed to be human.” —Kit Wharton, author of Emergency Admissions: Memoirs of an Ambulance Driver
Essays discuss the physician's role in the health care system, the doctor-patient relationship, what doctors can learn from their patients, and relations between colleagues
This book, written by an internationally acknowledged pioneer in endocrine surgery, is intended as advice for aspiring medical professionals, in particular for young people from around the world who are hoping to attend one of the great medical schools in the US or the UK, such as Harvard or Oxford. In clear, concise language, Dimitrios Linos explains the steps one needs to take to get into a top medical school, succeed as a resident, and become a board certified doctor. Drawing on his many years of experience, Linos discusses the career paths for practicing physicians, how to avoid burnout, and the importance of finding a work-life balance. This is an honest, engaging and thoughtful book, written in an encouraging manner from someone who knows personally the struggles and triumphs of being a doctor and who wants to help others become "the best physician in the world."
A timeless collection of advice, operating-room wisdom, and reflections on the practice of medicine, from the “best of the writing surgeons” (Chicago Tribune). “Richard Selzer does for medicine what Jacques Cousteau does for the sea,” raved The New York Times of this extraordinary collection. “He transports the reader to a world that most of us never see, a world that is vivid and powerful, often overwhelming, occasionally fantastic.” In this collection of highly candid, insightful, and unexpectedly humorous essays, the erstwhile surgeon turned Yale School of Medicine professor addresses both the brutality and the beauty of a profession in which saving and losing lives is all in a day’s work. A number of these pieces take the form of letters offering counsel to aspiring physicians. Featuring wry and witty observations on matters of life and death, medical ethics, and the awesome responsibilities of being a surgeon, Letters to a Young Doctor should be required reading for all medical students—and anyone interested in the endless miracle that is the human body. "No one writes about the practice of medicine with Selzer's unique combination of mystery and wonder,” observed the Los Angeles Times, while The New York Times praised Selzer’s “marvelous insight and potent imagery” for making “his tales of surgery and medicine both works of art and splendid tools of instruction.”
