Medical Books

[Angury]

As a healthcare student, I read a lot of nonfiction books regarding medicine, healthcare and science in general. I'm wondering whether anyone else has any similar interests?

 

There's a variety of medical literature out there. One of the more famous names is probably Oliver Sacks, a British neurologist. One of his most famous books is The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. One thing that stands out in Oliver's books is that he makes his patients appear human. All too often it is easy to get absorbed into the diagnosis and the pathology behind the diseases, and forget that there is a person behind all of those long-winded words. Oliver uses his sharp writing skills to describe the impact of the often fascinating diseases on the patient and their family, talking about their day-to-day life and how it's been affected. There are some beautifully poignant moments in the book which illustrate Oliver's caring nature towards his patients. His books also show how complex the brain is, and how much we take for granted until those abilities are suddenly lost to us.

 

There is also a UK-based psychiatrist called Max Pemberton who has written a number of books about his job as a junior doctor, and then as a psychiatrist working with the homeless. Like Oliver Sacks, you can see that he really cares about his patients and sees them as more than just a package of diseases. He only talks about a few patients in his books, so that you begin to build a relationship with them as well and feel just as concerned as he was when dealing with their illnesses. I also think he writes well - not in an Oscar Wilde kind of poetic style, but in a humorous manner which makes the reading quite light.

 

I'm also rather interested in the history of medicine, so I'm going to mention The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine by James Le Fanu. This is quite a popular book among medical applicants here in the UK, as it describes most of the main scientific and medical breakthroughs and how they have impacted the care we deliver today. It's an interesting book to read if you'd like to find out more, not only about how science and medicine has evolved throughout the years, but also what is set in store for the future based on current developments.

 

I think when people consider medial books, they may gravitate towards "rare" and "exotic" diseases. If anyone has watched the House MD TV series or is simply interested in the rarer side of medicine, Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis by Lisa Sanders is a good book to read.

 

I'm also particularly interested in the healthcare system, mainly here in the UK but I've recently gained an interest in international health as well. I think things like the placebo effect are very interesting, and I have an interest in the mind and psychiatry/neurology in general. Is anyone else interested in those sorts of topics?

I've read a couple of the "Anti-Psychiatry movement" books (Thomas Szasz being the main guy), the most recent of which is Cracked: Why Psychiatry is doing more harm than good by James Davies. In it he talks about the overprescription of antidepressants and the negative influences of the pharmaceutical companies on research and subsequent prescriptions by doctors. I found he wrote quite persuadably at times, and I did find myself agreeing with him in some of his chapters. But ultimately, I do think these kinds of topics need to be handled very carefully as there are many people out there who rely on such drugs that he talks about.

I've found it can be a bit of a sensitive issue with some people; Psychiatry still does not seem to be held in the same esteem as other medical specialities by some members of the public, which I think is a pity. There is certainly a lot of stigma revolving around mental illness.

 

If you are interested in reading about the pharmaceutical companies influences on drug prescrptions etc, I would instead recommend two of Ben Goldacre's (a British doctor) books: Bad Pharma and Bad Science.

 

I've rambled on a bit, but I really just wanted to see if anyone else has read any medical/sciencey books, or has such an interest.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Angury

[Ooshie]

^{I have the Oliver Sacks book but haven't read it yet, I'm looking forward to it.  I read the columns by both Max Pemberton and James le Fanu in the Daily Telegraph, and enjoy them a lot, they both seem to cut through a lot of the confusing things that are fed to the public day in day out and give sensible recommendations and advice. I have thought about looking to see if Dr le Fanu had published a book but hadn't got round to it yet, so thanks for the recommendation!}

[Athena]

I'm quite interested in science and health. All my chemistry study related books were read for university. They're up the attic at the moment so I don't have a list for you. I do plan on sorting them out. I own books on physical chemistry, biochemistry, mathematics, process control, organic chemistry, anorganic chemistry, practical lab information, history of chemistry, etc. I don't remember their exact titles and authors but if you're interested I'll go upstairs and make a list. I did read some medical books for my study, but they were borrowed and hence I don't own them, ie. I believe a book called Cell or Microbiology or something like that.

 

Other than that I own a book on psychology which I really enjoyed reading (Richard Gross - Psychology). I also own quite a few books on autism (including biographies) for this subject interests me a lot. I also own some books related to health issues but I've only read some of them and so can't tell you about the ones I haven't read. For example I own a book about the Dutch health care system, it's on the TBR.

 

My mum is a doctor, though as her job she doesn't see patients but instead she works for a government organisation helping lots of other health organisations with things. Her speciality is youth. She has a lot of medical books upstairs. I haven't read most of them, some of them are fairly technical.

 

I might have to look up some of your recommendations, they sound interesting .

[Angury]

I'm quite interested in science and health. All my chemistry study related books were read for university. They're up the attic at the moment so I don't have a list for you. I do plan on sorting them out. I own books on physical chemistry, biochemistry, mathematics, process control, organic chemistry, anorganic chemistry, practical lab information, history of chemistry, etc. I don't remember their exact titles and authors but if you're interested I'll go upstairs and make a list. I did read some medical books for my study, but they were borrowed and hence I don't own them, ie. I believe a book called Cell or Microbiology or something like that.Other than that I own a book on psychology which I really enjoyed reading (Richard Gross - Psychology). I also own quite a few books on autism (including biographies) for this subject interests me a lot. I also own some books related to health issues but I've only read some of them and so can't tell you about the ones I haven't read. For example I own a book about the Dutch health care system, it's on the TBR.My mum is a doctor, though as her job she doesn't see patients but instead she works for a government organisation helping lots of other health organisations with things. Her speciality is youth. She has a lot of medical books upstairs. I haven't read most of them, some of them are fairly technical.I might have to look up some of your recommendations, they sound interesting .

Ah, so your mum works in Public Health? That's one of the specialities I'm interested in - it's more about making a difference on a larger scale.

 

Do you mind me asking how the Dutch healthcare system works? I suppose I could just google it, but it would be interesting to hear your point of view.

 

I'm currently trying to find more psychology/psychiatry books - I will look that one up, thanks for mentioning it.

 

Chemistry is considered to be one of the hardest subjects to study here in the UK at A Level (an exam students do at 18). Yet it's such an important part of our lives.

I was awful at practicals though - I would always end up spilling something or mixing the wrong thing, or contaminating my instruments!

 

I'm a bit of a fan of David Eagleman as well. I'm not sure how popular he is over there, but he is an American neuroscientist - he has quite a popular book called Incognito: The Secret Life of the Brain that is also currently on my to-read list.

 

I also have a long list of books written about healthcare from patients points of view (mainly those who have been accessing the system for a long time). I think the main way we can improve healthcare is by listening to patients experiences. I don't know if you've heard, but there was a big scandal here in the UK regarding a hospital and the sorts of care some of the patients received in nursing homes - some of the stories were horrific.

Edited March 25, 2014 by Angury

[Athena]

I also have a long list of books written about healthcare from patients points of view (mainly those who have been accessing the system for a long time). I think the main way we can improve healthcare is by listening to patients experiences. I don't know if you've heard, but there was a big scandal here in the UK regarding a hospital and the sorts of care some of the patients received in nursing homes - some of the stories were horrific.

x

I hadn't heard of the scandal, that's pretty terrible.

x

Do you mind me asking how the Dutch healthcare system works? I suppose I could just google it, but it would be interesting to hear your point of view.

x

I don't mind .

 

We all pay health insurance to an insurance company. There are several of them and they offer different packages, differing in what costs they will pay for you if you need health care. The minimum is the base package, which needs to have certain costs covered set by the government. You pay the health insurance each month (the base package cost is set by the government I think). There is something called 'eigen bijdrage', which is a set amount of money (set by the government). You will not have to pay more per year than the 'eigen bijdrage' (own contribution) for costs that are covered by insurance (excluding the set money you pay per month). So if you break your leg it will not cost you more than the own contribution. If your costs are lower than the own contribution, you only have to pay part of it or none at all, depending on your package of insurance etc. If you make multiple costs in a year, for example, dentist, GP and medication, the total amount you pay for covered costs is never more than the 'eigen bijdrage'. Not all packages cover all dentist costs for example so it depends on what you have. If a package covers more type of costs, you pay more per month so it depends on what health care you think you'll need. Our government gives people with an income below a certain amount money to help them pay their health insurance (the amount depends on their income).

 

I hope this answers your question?

[Angury]

xI hadn't heard of the scandal, that's pretty terrible.xxI don't mind .We all pay health insurance to an insurance company. There are several of them and they offer different packages, differing in what costs they will pay for you if you need health care. The minimum is the base package, which needs to have certain costs covered set by the government. You pay the health insurance each month (the base package cost is set by the government I think). There is something called 'eigen bijdrage', which is a set amount of money (set by the government). You will not have to pay more per year than the 'eigen bijdrage' (own contribution) for costs that are covered by insurance (excluding the set money you pay per month). So if you break your leg it will not cost you more than the own contribution. If your costs are lower than the own contribution, you only have to pay part of it or none at all, depending on your package of insurance etc. If you make multiple costs in a year, for example, dentist, GP and medication, the total amount you pay for covered costs is never more than the 'eigen bijdrage'. Not all packages cover all dentist costs for example so it depends on what you have. If a package covers more type of costs, you pay more per month so it depends on what health care you think you'll need. Our government gives people with an income below a certain amount money to help them pay their health insurance (the amount depends on their income).I hope this answers your question?

Thanks for posting such a detailed reply. Yes, that was very helpful. I was always a bit confused about insurance companies and even a bit wary, since my only knowledge about them came from negative experiences of other people in America.

 

The system you've described sounds decent though - especially as the government steps in if you're struggling with income. I also like the idea of 'eigen bijdrage.'

[vodkafan]

Hi Angury all those books you mentioned  sound interesting. The only book I have read that comes close was Another Day In The Frontal Lobe by Katrina S. Firlik. She is a neurosurgeon.

[poppy]

I read a beautifully written, moving and quite lyrical book Angury, called Welcome To My Country by Lauren Slater.

This explains it far better than I can.

 

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/lauren-slater/welcome-to-my-country/

[Angury]

Those books sound interesting, I will look them up.

 

There is a lovely "short story" here written by a British GP which I thought was very touching:

 

http://abetternhs.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/loneliness/

 

It touches on the theme of loneliness and made me wonder how many people go and see their doctor because of it - and how many try to hide that fact in their visits by masking it with other uncertainties?

 

It's a very touching read if anyone has ten minutes to spare.