A Life in Medicine: A Literary Anthology

-Just wanted to add another five-star vote for this excellent anthology. -The NEJM review from 2002 does a fine job of summarizing the text so I won't add much here. My perspective is as a clinician for 25 years. -I found the book was realistic, knowledgeable, and often solidly humorous, and often found myself thinking I had experienced something very similar to what the authors were reporting. THis is the kind of book that gives a "booster shot" to your determination to try to be a decent clinician -- similar to that given by people such as Rachel Remen, who remind you of the sacredness of your profession not because it is perfect, but because it is an attempt to do some good in a world where so much suffering exists.

My rather on-and-off-again interest in medical and health issues prompted me to pick this up when I saw it in the library. It's a wonderful collection of essays, poetry and stories by professionals and "laymen" alike, on the mysteries and challenges of medicine. I especially enjoyed the fiction selections, from the story of a woman who hypnotizes the doctor after a dehumanizing and personal exam, from the terror of the doctor who gets stuck with an AIDS patient's needle, to the perversion of all medical ideals in the euthanasia programs of WWII, I found the stories and essays fascinating and almost disturbingly real. You can pick and choose what you like--I'm not much for poetry, but lingered over "The Good Doctor," about the seamier side of the long-standing hierarchical structure in medicine. I highly recommend this anthology.

Poems, essays and stories by those involved in the healing profession make A Life In Medicine: A Literary Anthology a truly fine blend of literary accounts and health issues, organized around central themes of altruism, knowledge, skill and duty. Doctors, nurses and health practitioners alike consider what it means to care for patients in a century of rapidly-changing scientific advancements.

Whenever I see a book with Robert Coles name on it I know it will be worthwhile to read. Coles served as one of several editors of A Life in Medicine: A Literary Anthology and the selections within are outstanding. They include poems, essays, short stories, and excerpts from longer works. The authors range from those working in the field (nurses, medical students, midwives, and physicians) to those not commonly associated with the field (e.g., Raymond Carver).The book is thought provoking and emphasizes how we are all connected to the process of life and death. As a physician (with writing as an avocation) I thought it offered a wonderful look at the many facets of medical care and those that deliver it.This book would be a wonderful gift for anyone in the profession but can be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the human condition.