Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by komacdi
Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America's Most Storied Hospital by David M. Oshinsky
informative
medium-paced
4.75
Bellevue. What an iconic New York institution.
This book was full of interesting facts, from the start of Bellevue as an almshouse all the way to the first time it's ever shut-down (after Hurricane Sandy). Both Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were taken to Bellevue after their individual duel injuries (and they shared the same family doctor(!), a visiting surgeon at Bellevue). Bellevue doctors were involved after Lincoln and Garfield's assassinations/attempts. John Lennon's killer made a visit. That's not even scratching the surface.
So many important aspects of modern medicine found their start here.
- Bellevue experienced the tragedy of the tuberculosis epidemic (among others that helped with establishing rooms/units and a staff that is well-versed in how to deal with highly contagious diseases).
- Bellevue saw its surgeons argue (and experience the consequences or lack thereof) on both sides of Germ Theory
- The patients and doctors at the forefront of the AIDS epidemic called Bellevue their primary home (and were the reason that directives, proxies, and other end-of-life plans started being talked about).
The chapter on the AIDS epidemic called forth so many memories that paralleled the COVID epidemic that I started to get a stomachache. Providers talked about the emotional toll of the epidemic being more devastating than the physical toll of caring for these patients. The Code of Medical Ethics was evaluated when so many providers/support staff refused to help AIDS patients for fear of contracting the disease themselves - yet so many more sacrificed themselves (before the disease processes were fully known) to help others.
It's fascinating how much things change - and don't change - throughout history. Bellevue keeps rolling with the punches and continues to be a top-notch medical facility with some of the best doctors in the world.
I knocked off 0.25 stars just because the first half was a struggle for me (but I have trouble reading about the 1700/1800s...the weird ways they said things just melts my brain). I'd also LOVE to see a new edition that includes how Bellevue functioned during the COVID epidemic. I'm sure they were a well-oiled machine.
This book was full of interesting facts, from the start of Bellevue as an almshouse all the way to the first time it's ever shut-down (after Hurricane Sandy). Both Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr were taken to Bellevue after their individual duel injuries (and they shared the same family doctor(!), a visiting surgeon at Bellevue). Bellevue doctors were involved after Lincoln and Garfield's assassinations/attempts. John Lennon's killer made a visit. That's not even scratching the surface.
So many important aspects of modern medicine found their start here.
- Bellevue experienced the tragedy of the tuberculosis epidemic (among others that helped with establishing rooms/units and a staff that is well-versed in how to deal with highly contagious diseases).
- Bellevue saw its surgeons argue (and experience the consequences or lack thereof) on both sides of Germ Theory
- The patients and doctors at the forefront of the AIDS epidemic called Bellevue their primary home (and were the reason that directives, proxies, and other end-of-life plans started being talked about).
The chapter on the AIDS epidemic called forth so many memories that paralleled the COVID epidemic that I started to get a stomachache. Providers talked about the emotional toll of the epidemic being more devastating than the physical toll of caring for these patients. The Code of Medical Ethics was evaluated when so many providers/support staff refused to help AIDS patients for fear of contracting the disease themselves - yet so many more sacrificed themselves (before the disease processes were fully known) to help others.
It's fascinating how much things change - and don't change - throughout history. Bellevue keeps rolling with the punches and continues to be a top-notch medical facility with some of the best doctors in the world.
I knocked off 0.25 stars just because the first half was a struggle for me (but I have trouble reading about the 1700/1800s...the weird ways they said things just melts my brain). I'd also LOVE to see a new edition that includes how Bellevue functioned during the COVID epidemic. I'm sure they were a well-oiled machine.