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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
Atul Gawande makes science and medical writing sound so easy, and you take it for granted until you read someone else's work. Gawande has a way of putting across complex medical conditions and operations in a way that us readers understand even if we may not necessarily have any prior knowledge. His previous book, Being Mortal, was one of my favourite books of 2016, so I was really looking forward to reading this one.
Right off the bat, I must say that this isn't as good, although that's not saying a lot, since Being Mortal is such an influential book for me. It changed the way I thought and talked about health and death, and there is something valuable in that book, no matter if you are a patient, a kin to a patient or a medical practitioner. Complications, on the other hand, is definitely more beneficial to doctors and surgeons in general. While the medical cases and ethical conundrums are certain very interesting to read, I don't feel like I walked away with life-altering lessons. Also, the middle section of the book doesn't seem to quite fit with the other two, and it feels like Gawande needed to make the book longer, so he inserted a few case studies of genuine medical mysteries.
Again, I want to stress that this is by no means a bad book. In fact, I can already see this up there among my list of honorary mentions, because it does delve deep into the imperfections of medical science, and how doctors are often forced to make educated guesses in the face of uncertainty. For that alone, I feel that a medical student will gain far more from this book than the average reader. But if you, like me, are into this particular genre of books, Gawande's works are as good as it gets. I still highly recommend this book.
Right off the bat, I must say that this isn't as good, although that's not saying a lot, since Being Mortal is such an influential book for me. It changed the way I thought and talked about health and death, and there is something valuable in that book, no matter if you are a patient, a kin to a patient or a medical practitioner. Complications, on the other hand, is definitely more beneficial to doctors and surgeons in general. While the medical cases and ethical conundrums are certain very interesting to read, I don't feel like I walked away with life-altering lessons. Also, the middle section of the book doesn't seem to quite fit with the other two, and it feels like Gawande needed to make the book longer, so he inserted a few case studies of genuine medical mysteries.
Again, I want to stress that this is by no means a bad book. In fact, I can already see this up there among my list of honorary mentions, because it does delve deep into the imperfections of medical science, and how doctors are often forced to make educated guesses in the face of uncertainty. For that alone, I feel that a medical student will gain far more from this book than the average reader. But if you, like me, are into this particular genre of books, Gawande's works are as good as it gets. I still highly recommend this book.
funny
informative
fast-paced
There was a time in my life when I looked to Reader's Digest as a more credible source of information; I even garnered some sort of feeling of being in the presence of wisdom when the correct stars were in alignment. The time when I felt such is as long ago as is the date of publication of this book, so perhaps, had I read it then, I would have liked it a great deal more. As it stands, I don't read nonfiction for the express purpose of being coddled into a feel-good view of a certain section of the world that views itself as above and beyond the influence of everyone and everything in and around it. If I did, I wouldn't have bothered to single out Gawande as hopefully a source that was somewhat free of the pale, comfortingly eugenicist meanderings that require black patients be wary of white doctors and fat patients be wary of pretty much everyone in the medical field. I didn't expect him to be an expert on the havoc that certain ideologies, probingly detailed in [b:Medical Apartheid|114192|Medical Apartheid The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present|Harriet A. Washington|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387667004l/114192._SY75_.jpg|109960] and other works, have wreaked and continue to wreak on the concepts of health, medicine, and healing in the United States, but it was rather pathetic to watch him fumble around seemingly mysterious patterns of occurrences that would be rather hard to parse if one didn't ever consider the state of health insurance in this country. In other cases, there was a nod towards systemic, dehumanizing biases that significantly the efforts of any well meaning doctor, but Gawande had already spent so much time normalizing the status quo that the critique seemed little more than the fine print of a drug ad. So, observations of a morally grey environment equipped with a healthy amount of cited literature? Sure. A rendering of the medical field that acknowledged "complications" stemming from far less good-intentioned sources? No, and it was the latter I was looking for.
I got some bits and pieces out of this, which is why this is a two star for the moment. Still, the obscenely high rating for a work that phrases increased rights for disabled people leading to more people being publicly disabled as a bad thing is little more than nonfiction that falls right in line with filth such as 'Me Before You'. It would've been a surprise had I viewed phrases such as "Harvard Medical School" and "The New Yorker" as having any measure of inherent credibility, but I knew plenty of pre-meds back in my BioE days at UCLA, and they were only ever in it for the money. Abusive (male) doctors mutilating, if not outright murdering, tens to hundreds of patients because their staff were too wibbly wobbly/genuinely afraid of retaliation to do anything about it, weight considered purely in terms of what is ingested and nothing else, egotistical rolls of the dice being favored over a scientific approach just so a single fallible individual can feel like a hero every once in a while: give me a break. The medical field truly is a complicated one, but I came to this piece expecting to be able to read up on some sort of MRI procedure (something which is, fun fact, I can't have myself due to my ink), not a fancier rendition of toothbrush and toothpaste. Now, I don't read a lot of this type of nonfiction, so this review may be suffering a tad from overdue-vent-itis. However, it's not like the evidence isn't there, so I'm fine with leaving it like this for now.
The perfect test or scan may have been available, but the physicians never ordered it.As you may be able to tell, I don't have the best relationship with the health industry. I have enough separate things wrong with me to necessitate regular visits to one or more institutions, but ever since a youth filled with borderline Munchausen By Proxy experiences and my undergrad days when my collegial institution would only give me treatment if I agreed to being experimented on by students, I don't do more than is absolutely necessary. Successive years of being in a community with my fellow neuroatypicals has given me plenty of stories of forced institutionalization, fat-shaming, racism, transphobia, and general abuse that was often only marginally lessened by rigorous research on the patient's side. I didn't expect Gawande to be all doom and gloom, but there was a pattern of pointing out fat patients as particularly difficult to operate on that wasn't much alleviated by a later article that all but swore by gastric bypass surgery. I could go into experiments that found rats became drug addicts when not offered enough positive stimulation and generally good environments, the all but 100% monetization of public spheres, the nearly ubiquitous inhumane conditions of workplaces that refuse all semblance of a healthy amount of sitting, standing, and general movement, but I won't. All I'll say is, there are a number of times when my teeth cleaner, aware of my pretty optimal dental status and less than optimal financial means, has offered to let me skip the MD's visit and spend half what I would have otherwise, and I can't think of a time when I refused the offer. So, that perfect scan or test? Doesn't mean jack squat if it's a choice between that and rent.
I got some bits and pieces out of this, which is why this is a two star for the moment. Still, the obscenely high rating for a work that phrases increased rights for disabled people leading to more people being publicly disabled as a bad thing is little more than nonfiction that falls right in line with filth such as 'Me Before You'. It would've been a surprise had I viewed phrases such as "Harvard Medical School" and "The New Yorker" as having any measure of inherent credibility, but I knew plenty of pre-meds back in my BioE days at UCLA, and they were only ever in it for the money. Abusive (male) doctors mutilating, if not outright murdering, tens to hundreds of patients because their staff were too wibbly wobbly/genuinely afraid of retaliation to do anything about it, weight considered purely in terms of what is ingested and nothing else, egotistical rolls of the dice being favored over a scientific approach just so a single fallible individual can feel like a hero every once in a while: give me a break. The medical field truly is a complicated one, but I came to this piece expecting to be able to read up on some sort of MRI procedure (something which is, fun fact, I can't have myself due to my ink), not a fancier rendition of toothbrush and toothpaste. Now, I don't read a lot of this type of nonfiction, so this review may be suffering a tad from overdue-vent-itis. However, it's not like the evidence isn't there, so I'm fine with leaving it like this for now.
What a great nonfiction read, especially for those who like the medical field/medical stories. Gawande does a great job spinning actual medical tales with timely themes and thoughts on the imperfect science of surgery and diagnostics.
Note: It does make me a little more nervous about the medical field and doctors, since there is a big emphasis the human infallibility of doctors. Some of the stories make the success appear to be just simple luck, instead of know-how. There are also stories that highlight the error and hubris of doctors that led to patient problems and death.
There is some minor gore (talk of blood and surgery details) that might make some squeamish but I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in medicine or any nonfiction.
Note: It does make me a little more nervous about the medical field and doctors, since there is a big emphasis the human infallibility of doctors. Some of the stories make the success appear to be just simple luck, instead of know-how. There are also stories that highlight the error and hubris of doctors that led to patient problems and death.
There is some minor gore (talk of blood and surgery details) that might make some squeamish but I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in medicine or any nonfiction.
Very entertaining book. The author discusses the imperfect science of medicine and how it's a very human arena, prone to well.. humanity. I enjoyed it very much. (Although I wish he didn't conclude with a story about flesh eating bacteria, because I'm afraid that's all I'll remember about this book...)
As someone who's interested in medicine but not enough to become a doctor, I found this book very fascinating while not being too dry to read. There are really interesting stories about surgeries that didn't go too well, the fallibility of doctors, and the insider's glimpse at what general surgery is really all about.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
One of the most fascinating but cohesive books I've read this year. I seem to be reading a lot of books lately that focus in the finer points of a specific subject from a micro perspective. Just in the past few months, I've read books that take an exhaustive look at things like traffic, trash, and polio. However, the finer points can prove to quickly overwhelm the reader - not so with this book, that walked the fine line between too much and not enough info beautifully. While "Complications" is far from being a complete study of the imperfections of medicine, it's fluidity and closely interrelated topics give the reader an amazing look inside what doctors don't know.
Truthfully, I started this book with some trepidation; we all want to think that our doctors are supremely competent and that mistakes and rare. If Gawande proves this idyllic image false, then what? To be sure, Gawande, a surgeon himself, shatters the common stereotype that I - and many others, I'm sure - have taken as truth. However, far from scaring the reader, he reveals over and over that doctors are ultimately human and have their foibles. Rather than punishing and crucifying them, though, he urges a healthy dose (pun intended) of compassion. Certainly Gawande has reasons to urge this viewpoint, but by recounting episodes that happened to him as an intern, resident, and surgeon, he lets the reader discover that medicine is never as black and white as we think it to be; decisions have to be made quickly, often under pressure, with immense consequences looming.
Gawande also pulls in larger themes that were utterly thought-provoking. For instance, we don't like to think of doctors having a learning curve. However, each time a new procedure or treatment is discovered, many doctors must learn them from scratch, making mistakes along the way. "As patients, we want both expertise and progress. What nobody wants to face is that these are contradictory desires." Gawande speaks of interns and residents as forced to "steal" their learning, as a sort of "bodily emininent domain" while the patient is anesthetized, always with an attending physician looking over their shoulder. Not many people would willingly place themselves in the hands of someone admittedly inexperienced; but how else will young doctors gain experience?
The struggle between patient autonomy and doctor expertise is also explored, with persuading arguments for both sides presented. Gawande reminds the reader, though, that "the ill [are:] often in a poor position to make good choices: they [are:] frequently exhausted, irritable, shattered, or despondent. Often, they [are:] just trying to get through their immediate pain, nausea, and fatigue; they could hardly think about major decisions." The author relates that when his infant daughter ended up in the hospital, he was utterly unable to make a decision when her doctors presented him with two courses of action that could be taken. After the options were explained to him, Gawande found that "he did not have the concentration or the energy to weigh the treatment options properly." This, from a well-respected surgeon!
Gawande's writing is fresh, frank, and oddly vulnerable; he makes no qualms about laying his past mistakes out for the reader and explaining why medical mistakes are more likely to happen than not. I closed this book feeling more informed, if not a little more reverent for medicine and doctors in general; we certainly ask a lot of them both.
A great read that I would highly recommend (unless you're a hypochondriac; if this is the case stay far, far away). Not for the squeamish, though, as the author's descriptions are incredibly vivid. The anecdotes of difficult cases, close calls, and unfortunate mistkaes were spellbinding, as well. Will defintely be reading some of his other books.
Truthfully, I started this book with some trepidation; we all want to think that our doctors are supremely competent and that mistakes and rare. If Gawande proves this idyllic image false, then what? To be sure, Gawande, a surgeon himself, shatters the common stereotype that I - and many others, I'm sure - have taken as truth. However, far from scaring the reader, he reveals over and over that doctors are ultimately human and have their foibles. Rather than punishing and crucifying them, though, he urges a healthy dose (pun intended) of compassion. Certainly Gawande has reasons to urge this viewpoint, but by recounting episodes that happened to him as an intern, resident, and surgeon, he lets the reader discover that medicine is never as black and white as we think it to be; decisions have to be made quickly, often under pressure, with immense consequences looming.
Gawande also pulls in larger themes that were utterly thought-provoking. For instance, we don't like to think of doctors having a learning curve. However, each time a new procedure or treatment is discovered, many doctors must learn them from scratch, making mistakes along the way. "As patients, we want both expertise and progress. What nobody wants to face is that these are contradictory desires." Gawande speaks of interns and residents as forced to "steal" their learning, as a sort of "bodily emininent domain" while the patient is anesthetized, always with an attending physician looking over their shoulder. Not many people would willingly place themselves in the hands of someone admittedly inexperienced; but how else will young doctors gain experience?
The struggle between patient autonomy and doctor expertise is also explored, with persuading arguments for both sides presented. Gawande reminds the reader, though, that "the ill [are:] often in a poor position to make good choices: they [are:] frequently exhausted, irritable, shattered, or despondent. Often, they [are:] just trying to get through their immediate pain, nausea, and fatigue; they could hardly think about major decisions." The author relates that when his infant daughter ended up in the hospital, he was utterly unable to make a decision when her doctors presented him with two courses of action that could be taken. After the options were explained to him, Gawande found that "he did not have the concentration or the energy to weigh the treatment options properly." This, from a well-respected surgeon!
Gawande's writing is fresh, frank, and oddly vulnerable; he makes no qualms about laying his past mistakes out for the reader and explaining why medical mistakes are more likely to happen than not. I closed this book feeling more informed, if not a little more reverent for medicine and doctors in general; we certainly ask a lot of them both.
A great read that I would highly recommend (unless you're a hypochondriac; if this is the case stay far, far away). Not for the squeamish, though, as the author's descriptions are incredibly vivid. The anecdotes of difficult cases, close calls, and unfortunate mistkaes were spellbinding, as well. Will defintely be reading some of his other books.
I finished this book about a week ago and the next day my mom fell and f#*$*%* broke her hip. So, this is NOT the type of book to read or even think about when you have someone in the hospital.
Most doctors, especially surgeons, are viewed as infallible but in reality they are just like us. They have bad days, they make mistakes and some of them should really change careers.
The author writes eloquently, with compassion and a clear love for surgery, which made this a fascinating book to delve into. Most of the stories felt anecdotal rather than a deep dive into the details which for a layman like me was perfect.
The author also poses a lot of ethical questions about the profession and how much patient autonomy should be allowed when making health decisions.
If you have any interest in medical memoirs you should try this author at least once.
Most doctors, especially surgeons, are viewed as infallible but in reality they are just like us. They have bad days, they make mistakes and some of them should really change careers.
The author writes eloquently, with compassion and a clear love for surgery, which made this a fascinating book to delve into. Most of the stories felt anecdotal rather than a deep dive into the details which for a layman like me was perfect.
The author also poses a lot of ethical questions about the profession and how much patient autonomy should be allowed when making health decisions.
If you have any interest in medical memoirs you should try this author at least once.