Best Lasers in Medicine
Edited and written by the acknowledged masters in the field, this edition provides clear, concise step-by-step details on all procedures, along with Advances in NOTES procedures and valuable author commentary. --Improve your understanding of important applications for esophageal, colorectal, and thoracic surgeries; gastric and hepatobiliary procedures; and pancreas and endocrine procedures. ‘This is an excellent text that is both concise and inclusive.’. ‘a valuable asset for the preparation of a variety of cases’. ‘The strength of the text is the stepwise approach to each condition’. ‘This is an excellent text that I would recommend to most senior residents and certainly to all fellows in minimally-invasive surgery’. Weighted Numerical Score: 90 - 4 Stars!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Beautiful book with the most relevant information about laparoscopic surgery."
"Brilliant book arrived in perfecy condition."
Stop Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain provides extensive information about the realities and the myths of endometriosis and pelvic pain and various treatment options. This book is a most welcome source of hope for women to break open the taboos about discussing endometriosis and get the medical community to recognize their obligation to rethink how this disease is treated.” —Susan Sarandon, actress. Andrew Cook is just such a physician and surgeon whose book provides expert and comprehensive advice that will benefit many patients.”— G. David Adamson MD, FRCSC, FACOG, FACS, Director of Fertility Physicians of Northern California, Adjunct Clinical Professor at Stanford University, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of California San Francisco. There are sections of it that totally resonate with the experience of endometriosis.” — Mary Lou Ballweg, president and executive director of the Endometriosis Association, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “In Stop Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain, Dr. Andrew Cook shows exactly why so many women are improperly treated and left to suffer and why his rate of success is so high.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"On the other hand, because my appointments seem to take a long time to go over all of my issues, I would often refrain from asking questions out of respect for his time. I absolutely dread the idea of her having to go through any of this. My greatest hope is that Dr. Cook's idea of Endometriosis being its own specialized field (e.g. Cardology) comes to fruition. This would mean my daughter would have several physicians to choose from, instead of trying to find a needle in a haystack of Endo-illiterate physicians."
"This book is a relief and consolation that 1. there is someone out there who actually understands the misery this condition brings and 2. something can be done ( you don't have to live with this the rest of your life)."
"I strongly recommend this book to any woman who is suffering with pelvic pain and feeling lost."
"This book gives you good explanations as to the cause, treatment options, patient advocacy, and hope in the face of a disease that can be a life long battle."
"This is an essential read for anyone who thinks they may have or have been diagnosed with endometriosis or adenomyosis."
"Both books describe what it takes to find endometriosis, and how to best treat it, along with adhesions."
"By April of this year I was able to travel 400 miles to get to one great endometriosis excision specialist."
This fourth volume in the highly regarded Cosmetic Procedures series provides step-by-step instruction for treating sun-damaged skin and other common aesthetic complaints using laser and light technologies. "provide a sound understanding of how to use lasers in treating common aesthetic skin concerns".
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This text is masterfully written and will become a classic in the field."
"Dr. Small has created a very readable, well referenced, delightfully complete and unbiased opus on Laser and Light."
"Fabulous book for physicians and aesthetic RN's, covers a wide variety of laser procedures with information I haven't been able to find in other laser reference books."
"Excellent overview of light/tissue interaction."
Best Lasers in Medicine
Stop Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain provides extensive information about the realities and the myths of endometriosis and pelvic pain and various treatment options. This book is a most welcome source of hope for women to break open the taboos about discussing endometriosis and get the medical community to recognize their obligation to rethink how this disease is treated.” —Susan Sarandon, actress. Andrew Cook is just such a physician and surgeon whose book provides expert and comprehensive advice that will benefit many patients.”— G. David Adamson MD, FRCSC, FACOG, FACS, Director of Fertility Physicians of Northern California, Adjunct Clinical Professor at Stanford University, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of California San Francisco. There are sections of it that totally resonate with the experience of endometriosis.” — Mary Lou Ballweg, president and executive director of the Endometriosis Association, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “In Stop Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain, Dr. Andrew Cook shows exactly why so many women are improperly treated and left to suffer and why his rate of success is so high.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"On the other hand, because my appointments seem to take a long time to go over all of my issues, I would often refrain from asking questions out of respect for his time. I absolutely dread the idea of her having to go through any of this. My greatest hope is that Dr. Cook's idea of Endometriosis being its own specialized field (e.g. Cardology) comes to fruition. This would mean my daughter would have several physicians to choose from, instead of trying to find a needle in a haystack of Endo-illiterate physicians."
"This book is a relief and consolation that 1. there is someone out there who actually understands the misery this condition brings and 2. something can be done ( you don't have to live with this the rest of your life)."
"I strongly recommend this book to any woman who is suffering with pelvic pain and feeling lost."
"This book gives you good explanations as to the cause, treatment options, patient advocacy, and hope in the face of a disease that can be a life long battle."
"This is an essential read for anyone who thinks they may have or have been diagnosed with endometriosis or adenomyosis."
"Both books describe what it takes to find endometriosis, and how to best treat it, along with adhesions."
"By April of this year I was able to travel 400 miles to get to one great endometriosis excision specialist."
Best Prosthesis in Medicine
Comprehensive coverage includes both simple and complicated clinical cases, with practical guidance on how to apply the latest research, diagnostic tools, treatment planning, implant designs, materials, and techniques to provide superior patient outcomes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The articles used and the clinicians who helped generate information used in this book are the serious, dedicated, truly devoted "big guns" in the study of dental implants. Basic knowledge is presented in an extremely understandable and digestible way that allows those who are just starting with dental implants or clinicians that have placed hundreds or thousands of implants enjoy."
"implants book is very sepectaular I read it.it is good for implant learning theory.Thanks a lot."
"As a restorative dentist for over twenty years, I find the book technically excellent and informative."
"Great book."
"Great condition very informative."
Best Internal Medicine
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • This inspiring, exquisitely observed memoir finds hope and beauty in the face of insurmountable odds as an idealistic young neurosurgeon attempts to answer the question What makes a life worth living? At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naïve medical student “possessed,” as he wrote, “by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life” into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality. I’ll go on.’” When Breath Becomes Air is an unforgettable, life-affirming reflection on the challenge of facing death and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a brilliant writer who became both. And part comes from the way he conveys what happened to him—passionately working and striving, deferring gratification, waiting to live, learning to die—so well.” —Janet Maslin, The New York Times. The book brims with insightful reflections on mortality that are especially poignant coming from a trained physician familiar with what lies ahead.” — The Boston Globe. As he wrote to a friend: ‘It’s just tragic enough and just imaginable enough.’ And just important enough to be unmissable.” —Janet Maslin, The New York Times “Paul Kalanithi’s memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, written as he faced a terminal cancer diagnosis, is inherently sad. It is, despite its grim undertone, accidentally inspiring.” — The Washington Post “Paul Kalanithi’s posthumous memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, possesses the gravity and wisdom of an ancient Greek tragedy. [Kalanithi] is so likeable, so relatable, and so humble, that you become immersed in his world and forget where it’s all heading.” — USA Today “It’s [Kalanithi’s] unsentimental approach that makes When Breath Becomes Air so original—and so devastating. “Rattling, heartbreaking, and ultimately beautiful, the too-young Dr. Kalanithi’s memoir is proof that the dying are the ones who have the most to teach us about life.” —Atul Gawande “Thanks to When Breath Becomes Air, those of us who never met Paul Kalanithi will both mourn his death and benefit from his life. Kalanithi strives to define his dual role as physician and patient, and he weighs in on such topics as what makes life meaningful and how one determines what is most important when little time is left. This deeply moving memoir reveals how much can be achieved through service and gratitude when a life is courageously and resiliently lived.” — Publishers Weekly “A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular clarity . Kalanithi describes, clearly and simply, and entirely without self-pity, his journey from innocent medical student to professionally detached and all-powerful neurosurgeon to helpless patient, dying from cancer. Every doctor should read this book—written by a member of our own tribe, it helps us understand and overcome the barriers we all erect between ourselves and our patients as soon as we are out of medical school.” —Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery “A tremendous book, crackling with life, animated by wonder and by the question of how we should live. Paul Kalanithi lived and died in the pursuit of excellence, and by this testimonial, he achieved it.” —Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Ultimately there's not much triumph in it in the traditional sense but there is a dogged, quiet resilience and a frank earthiness that endures long after the last word appears. Dr. Kalanithi talks about his upbringing as the child of hardworking Indian immigrant parents and his tenacious and passionate espousal of medicine and literature. He speaks lovingly of his relationship with his remarkable wife - also a doctor - who he met in medical school and who played an outsized role in supporting him through everything he went through. He had a stunning and multifaceted career, studying biology and literature at Stanford, then history and philosophy of medicine at Cambridge, and finally neurosurgery at Yale. The mark of a man of letters is evident everywhere in the book, and quotes from Eliot, Beckett, Pope and Shakespeare make frequent appearances. Metaphors abound and the prose often soars: When describing how important it is to develop good surgical technique, he tells us that "Technical excellence was a moral requirement"; meanwhile, the overwhelming stress of late night shifts, hundred hour weeks and patients with acute trauma made him occasionally feel like he was "trapped in an endless jungle summer, wet with sweat, the rain of tears of the dying pouring down". The painful uncertainty which he documents - in particular the tyranny of statistics which makes it impossible to predict how a specific individual will react to cancer therapy - must sadly be familiar to anyone who has had experience with the disease. There are heartbreaking descriptions of how at one point the cancer seemed to have almost disappeared and how, after Dr. Kalanithi had again cautiously made plans for a hopeful future with his wife, it returned with a vengeance and he had to finally stop working."
"He says this, “The secret is to know that the deck is stacked, that you will lose, that your hands or judgment will slip, and yet still struggle to win …You can’t ever reach perfection, but you can believe in an asymptote toward which are ceaselessly striving. In the foreword by fellow doctor and writer Abraham Verghese, that doctor writes, “He (Paul) wasn’t writing about anything—he was writing about time and what it meant to him now, in the context of his illness.” And in the afterword by his wife Lucy, the meaning of that time becomes even clearer."
"The introspective reader is taken on some part of Dr. Kalanithi's journey from strength to vulnerability, and one cannot help but marvel at and be inspired by his determination to share his insights and experiences by writing a book despite the physical discomfort he was going through."
"Like when you go running and forget you are on a run, because you are one with the run; reading this I was so absorbed, it was like I was listening to Paul, hearing his words, versus reading them...."
Best Sports Medicine
Written by internationally recognized Harvard Medical School faculty and select medical students, Pathophysiology of Heart Disease, Sixth Edition provides a solid foundation of knowledge regarding diseases of the heart and circulation. Now with the print edition, enjoy the bundled interactive eBook edition , offering tablet, smartphone or accessed online to: Complete content with enhanced navigation A powerful search tool that pulls results from content in the book, your notes, and even the web Cross-linked pages, references, and more for easy navigation A highlighting tool for easier reference of key content throughout the text Ability to take and share notes with friends and colleagues Quick-reference tabbing to save your favorite content for future use.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If there is one book you should read cover-to-cover as a preclinical medical student, it's this book. So, in summation, if you are a preclinical med student, buy this book and read it."
"This book was the best."
"Wow this book has been my saving grace for the cardiovascular unit in med school, it does an excellent job explaining the pathophysiology of the heart in a very simple and straightforward manner."
"Very complete and easy to read."
"excellent product and service."
"This was my favorite educational book of all time - best resource in medical school so far."
"The book went into thorough details about each and every topic we covered in my 4 week Cardiovascular class."
Best Transportation in Medicine
The ACE SAT will assist the critical care transport provider with preparing to challenge the Certified Flight Paramedic (FP-C), Certified Flight Nurse (CFRN) or Certification for Emergency Nurses (CEN) exam(s).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"You should take a course/review and use other textbooks for more preparation but this book will put you in test mode."
"I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for an additional study aid to both the flight and critical care paramedic exam."
"This book is a good study tool that helped me pass my FPC test."
"Not all is applicable if your from Canada, as the equipment, drugs and protocols are different, however the physiology of flight applies everywhere."
"All of the "positive" reviews I've read about this book are true."
"I'm studying, hope it helps."
"From what others told me about this book it was "go to" when studying."
Best Preventive Medicine
Key Features: • New chapter on Adolescent Health--an important but largely uncovered topic in the existing Global Health literature. • Expanded chapter on Child Health with special attention given to immunizations. • Expanded coverage throughout on the topic of health disparities. • The latest information on nutrition including the Global Nutrition Report of November 2014 and the Lancet Series on Maternal and Child Nutrition of 2013. • New section on Pharmaceuticals. • More than 25 additional "Policy and Program" briefs that cover a range of key topics. Richard Skolnik has spent more than 40 years working on international development and global health and was formerly a lecturer in the Yale School of Public Health, the Yale School of Management, and the George Washington University School of Public Health.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The Pros: -easy to read. -very informative. -excellent, up-to-date statistics. -summary section at the end of each chapter. The Cons: -the online resource wasn't available when I took the class."
"well, it was a requirement for the class."
"The reading is intense but I guess that is to be expected from a textbook for a grad level class."
"I bought this book for my global health class."
"Typical example of sycophants in the world of the academe, lauding each other with no discernment."
Best Medical Ethics
She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia—a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo—to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells. Amazon Best Books of the Month, February 2010 : From a single, abbreviated life grew a seemingly immortal line of cells that made some of the most crucial innovations in modern science possible. Henrietta Lacks was a mother of five in Baltimore, a poor African American migrant from the tobacco farms of Virginia, who died from a cruelly aggressive cancer at the age of 30 in 1951. A sample of her cancerous tissue, taken without her knowledge or consent, as was the custom then, turned out to provide one of the holy grails of mid-century biology: human cells that could survive--even thrive--in the lab. Meanwhile, Henrietta's family continued to live in poverty and frequently poor health, and their discovery decades later of her unknowing contribution--and her cells' strange survival--left them full of pride, anger, and suspicion. Jad Abumrad is host and creator of the public radio hit Radiolab , now in its seventh season and reaching over a million people monthly. Just the simple facts are hard to believe: that in 1951, a poor black woman named Henrietta Lacks dies of cervical cancer, but pieces of the tumor that killed her--taken without her knowledge or consent--live on, first in one lab, then in hundreds, then thousands, then in giant factories churning out polio vaccines, then aboard rocket ships launched into space. The cells from this one tumor would spawn a multi-billion dollar industry and become a foundation of modern science--leading to breakthroughs in gene mapping, cloning and fertility and helping to discover how viruses work and how cancer develops (among a million other things). But what's truly remarkable about Rebecca Skloot 's book is that we also get the rest of the story, the part that could have easily remained hidden had she not spent ten years unearthing it: Who was Henrietta Lacks?
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This was a great book that I'm so glad I read."
"In “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” Rebecca Skloot introduces us to the “real live woman,” the children who survived her, and the interplay of race, poverty, science and one of the most important medical discoveries of the last 100 years. Skloot narrates the science lucidly, tracks the racial politics of medicine thoughtfully and tells the Lacks family’s often painful history with grace. When science appears, it does so effortlessly, with explanations of cell anatomy or techniques like “fluorescence in situ hybridization” seamlessly worked into descriptions of the coloured wards of Johns Hopkins hospital to Lacks’s hometown of Clover, Virginia. And yet for all its grand scope, skilful writing and touching compassion, there is one simple element that makes As a final thought, I was struck by the parallels between Henrietta’s cells and her story."
"The author did a great job of allowing the reader to decide if Henrietta's family should have profited from her cells."
"After reading about Henrietta Lacks, I began thinking about all the blood tests I've had done, and some minor surgeries I've had and I constantly wondered, what did those doctors and/or hospitals do with my tissues and/or blood? I realize there are laws in place now that weren't there when Henrietta lived, but to read how Dr. Gey took samples of Henrietta's cancerous tumor and used it to advance science and medicine as we know of it today, is mind-boggling. All of us living today should be thankful for Henrietta because she has done something that no one else seems to ever have been able to do, which is live immortally. Lacks' cells, while her family continues to live in poverty. I learned so much about cells and DNA, not to mention that just about every pill I've ever taken, most likely was the result of Henrietta's cells, which still grow today."
"When a friend recommended this book I'd never heard of Henrietta Lacks or HeLa."
Best Medical Reference
When you need advice on how to present information, including text, data, and graphics, for publication in any type of format--such as college and university papers, professional journals, presentations for colleagues, and online publication--you will find the advice you're looking for in the "Publication Manual."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Though it should be noted they need to update it to discuss multiple mediums like songs, albums, movies on disc or blu-ray, videos on websites like Vimeo and DailyMotion."
"I needed this for a doctoral class."
"I'm in nursing school so I can't imagine how helpful this would be for students in programs that require more papers."
"Who doesn't love APA formatting."
"Even allowed a download to be burned to CD. A new download should be allowed for previous purchasers, at least with a discount."
"I would suggest using this book!"
"The content is great but it looks like the printer was low on ink... at first I thought I got a counterfeit but I think it's just the way the book is printed."
"This book is a must for any student whose school requires APA Format 6th edition."
Best Medical Diagnosis
A caption explains the concept illustrated on each page, and a few simple sentences reinforce the concept with interactive (programmed) learning, which links to the following page.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Often times when I read a text book I feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information included on a page."
"I had this before and somehow replaced it."
"Will make you a master at reading and interpreting EKGs."
"Excellent book!"
"Explained simply and the practice of writing answers in this workbook helps to put the principles to memory."
"I'm a pre med student and every doctor, resident, med student, PA, and EMT I've talked to says this is the number 1 book to learn interpretation of EKG."
"Dr Dubin takes you by the hand and spoon feeds you information at the perfect pace so that when you start learning the actual interpretation methods, it makes sense."
"Will help you not just read EKGs but also give you a fundamental understanding of WHY the readings present the way they do.Most of the Paramedics and paramedic students I know make a point of reading this book at some point."
Best Medical Home Care
The most trusted guide for caring for persons with Alzheimer's disease, memory loss, and dementia disorders-now revised and updated with practical and legal advice and compassionate guidance for families and caregivers. ( Chicago Sun-Times ). "An excellent book for families who are caring for persons with dementia... A book that physicians can confidently recommend to the families of their patients." ( Case Management Journals ). "An excellent guide with general information for family caregivers of persons with dementia...
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It builds up over a period of years, and in the beginning there is an understandable tendency to consider a loved one's unusual behavior to be just another sign of aging. It is a very scary thing to gradually lose some of your important mental capabilities, and there is a resulting tendency among those with dementia to either act out or to withdraw from normal family communications. This book is written by experienced authorities in the field, and it is easy enough to read for those without medical backgrounds."
"An excellent guide for those who care for a loved one who has Alzheimer's or any other dementia."
"A must read for families of Alzheimer's patients."
"One of the best book I've found for basic information on dementia."
"Exceptional source of being a caregiver and all that it implies."
"I wish I had read it years ago."
"This book was recommended to me by a facilitator of a Caregiver Support Group that I am attending."
"This book was recommended by the doctor of a family member and it is a good read, helping with questions a caregiver has."
Best Medical Procedure
What makes this book unique is that it is the first published book on how to break into the Medical Science Liaison role and was written by someone who has actually been an MSL, hired MSLs, interviewed MSL, reviewed MSL CVs, and Managed MSL Teams. In three easy-to-read sections, he discusses the Medical Science Liaison role, presents your MSL job search strategy, and reveals the inner workings of the MSL hiring process.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I ordered this book a day before my phone interview for an MSL position."
"You can see how his enormous expertise in the MSL field is condensed in this book, both in terms of content and writing style. On the contrary, considering the vast diversity of the field it would simply be too much, too overwhelming and let alone not feasible for a book of that format."
"As a PhD candidate who is aspiring to become a MSL but without much clue on where to find more information, I was lucky enough to stumble upon Dr. Samuel Dyer's book on how to break into the MSL role."
"I purchased Dr.Dyer's book about a month ago when I decided that the MSL career would be an excellent professional pathway for me."
"I wish I had purchased this book prior to my first interview for an MSL position."
"All the opportunities that I have encountered so far in the Med Affairs arena were solely through the interaction with the MSL Society members and by following the step-by-step methodology of "focused networking" approach described in this book. I expected to see a short chapter on the challenges faced by a newly recruited MSL (during the very first year after landing on the job) and tips on how to navigate the brewing phase of this career."
Best Medical Computer Applications
A four-part presentation covers quantitative cell and tissue biology, cell and tissue characterization, engineering methods and design, and clinical implementation. This list includes basic biological sciences (cell biology, physiology, embryology, and wound healing); engineering fundamentals (fluid dynamics, transport phenomena, materials science, mechanics, and chemical kinetics); many clinical aspects (surgery and transplantation, immunology, pathology, radiology, and medicine), and various relevant biotechnologies (cell culture, cell separation, and gene transfer). This long list of specialized knowledge makes it challenging to organize all the necessary background material for the student of tissue engineering in a clear and succinct manner. In writing this book, we aimed to lay the foundation for students studying tissue engineering at both the undergraduate and the graduate level. Instructors will find this text to be a useful framework since it is amenable to augmentation based on the instructors area of expertise and desired focus of a course in tissue engineering. The text is written primarily for senior bioengineering students or first-year graduate students and assumes a working knowledge of the engineering fundamentals. Nonetheless, we also hope that the text will be useful to traditional engineering students, material scientists, medical students, laypeople, and biologists. We have chosen to present the material in four parts: quantitative cell and tissue biology, cell and tissue characterization, engineering methods and design, and clinical implementation. He and Valerie Liu provided important feedback on their experience teaching from this text and help with preparing homework problems.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Tissue engineering is developing field that not a lot of textbooks as linear circuit or algebra on the market."
"As advertised all is good!"
"This book is not a hard read, yet it is still useful and up-to-date as a college level introduction to tissue engineering."
"They assume that the reader already knows lot of the topics and the mathematical equations, so I do not see why the authors expected people to even buy the book!"
Best Hospice Care
In Being Mortal , bestselling author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming birth, injury, and infectious disease from harrowing to manageable. “ Being Mortal , Atul Gawande's masterful exploration of aging, death, and the medical profession's mishandling of both, is his best and most personal book yet.” ― Boston Globe. combining his years of experience as a surgeon with his gift for fluid, seemingly effortless storytelling . has provided us with a moving and clear-eyed look at aging and death in our society, and at the harms we do in turning it into a medical problem, rather than a human one.” ― The New York Review of Books. “A deeply affecting, urgently important book--one not just about dying and the limits of medicine but about living to the last with autonomy, dignity, and joy.” ― Katherine Boo. Gawande's book is not of the kind that some doctors write, reminding us how grim the fact of death can be. Rather, he shows how patients in the terminal phase of their illness can maintain important qualities of life.” ― Wall Street Journal (Best Books of 2014). “ Being Mortal left me tearful, angry, and unable to stop talking about it for a week. A surgeon himself, Gawande is eloquent about the inadequacy of medical school in preparing doctors to confront the subject of death with their patients. “We have come to medicalize aging, frailty, and death, treating them as if they were just one more clinical problem to overcome. Being Mortal is not only wise and deeply moving, it is an essential and insightful book for our times, as one would expect from Atul Gawande, one of our finest physician writers.” ― Oliver Sacks. May it be widely read and inwardly digested.” ― Diana Athill, Financial Times (UK). “A great read that leaves you better equipped to face the future, and without making you feel like you just took your medicine.” ― Mother Jones (Best Books of 2014). One hopes it is the spark that ignites some revolutionary changes in a field of medicine that ultimately touches each of us.” ― Shelf Awareness (Best Books of 2014). “A needed call to action, a cautionary tale of what can go wrong, and often does, when a society fails to engage in a sustained discussion about aging and dying.” ― San Francisco Chronicle.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"People of any age want the right to lock their doors, set the temperature they want, dress how they like, eat what they want, admit visitors only when they're in the mood. Yet, nursing homes (and even assisted living communities) are geared toward making these decisions for people in order to keep them safe, gain government funds, and ensure a routine for the facility. In addition, Dr. Gawande shows how end-of-life physical conditions are most often treated as medical crises needing to be "fixed," instead of managed for quality of life when treatment has become futile. He tells a great story of a doctor who convinced a nursing home to bring in two dogs, four cats and one hundred birds!"
"In reading many of his previous books I found he always asked questions: Why do we do things; for what purpose; is this working to achieve the best results for the patient in his physical and cultural circumstance? In speaking of elder care he sadly points out that "Our reluctance to honestly examine the experience of aging and dying has increased the harm and suffering we inflict on people and has denied them the basic comforts they need most". He looks at the "Dying Role" as the end approaches describing it as the patient's ability to "share memories, pass on wisdom and keepsakes, settle relationships, establish legacies and make peace with their God. Gawande shares his deep seated feelings in this book by revealing personal vignettes of how friends and family coped with these powerful and challenging issues."
Best Midwifery
This classic book on home birth is now in its fourth edition, with updated information on the safety of natural childbirth, new birthing stories, and the most recent statistics on births managed by The Farm Midwives. Ina May and fellow Farm midwives were instrumental in the development of the rigorous Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) certification process.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Fantastic viewpoint on the process of pregnancy, birth, and relationships in general."
"Love all the firsthand birth tales, all the great information on how to take care of yourself post-partum, and the midwife section is a great to stay informed about your baby and your pregnancy."
"Reading positive birth stories from other women really helped me with mentally preparing for my own and not succumbing to the notion that we should fear childbirth."
"I read this book first as a frayed copy from a friend of a friend when I was pregnant-many moons ago-and despite the fact that I ended up with very "medicalized" birthing experiences-her books and outlook on birthing influenced my journey as a mother, woman and wife."
"Reading this book made me so confident and excited about my labor."
"I gave this as a gift."
Best Doctor-Patient Relations
Groopman explores why doctors err and shows when and how they can -- with our help -- avoid snap judgments, embrace uncertainty, communicate effectively, and deploy other skills that can profoundly impact our health. This book is the first to describe in detail the warning signs of erroneous medical thinking and reveal how new technologies may actually hinder accurate diagnoses. Jerome Groopman, Harvard professor of medicine, AIDS and cancer researcher, and New Yorker staff writer in medicine and biology, isn't new to the popular medical-writing scene.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Not to spoil much of the information in the book, the author does an exceptional job at portraying what healthcare is really like. I do not want to spoil the information from his book, but it is an amazing read for anything who wants insight into healthcare."
"the book is so good that I decided to incorporate my portuguese paper copy to the Quakity Cintrol Unit of the hospital I work in, as a suggestion to all involved persons. The book invokes our mutual cooperation for the good of all, while being ever conscious of several factors that can potentially induce mistakes."
"The practice of medicine is an art as well as a science, meaning that all physicians need to use their individual judgment in deciding how to proceed in difficult or ambiguous cases. Even though the lay public is used to thinking of X-rays or other diagnostic tests as providing definitive proof of the existence of (or lack of) an injury or illness, Dr. Groopman cites studies that challenge this idea (for example even the best radiologists had a diagnostic accuracy rate of 95%; and radiologists will even disagree with their own earlier determination on a case 5 to 10% of the time)."
"Superb insight into the way doctors are trained to think, and how patients can use that understanding to get better care."
"This book should be on the "required-reading" list of every doctor and every patient."
Best Euthanasia
The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia provides the most thorough overview of the ethical and legal issues raised by assisted suicide and euthanasia--as well as the most comprehensive argument against their legalization--ever published. "Gorsuch lucidly lays out the key ethical and philosophical arguments on both sides. "Gorsuch reviews the case law and the range of ethical and legal issues surrounding assisted suicide and offers a strong argument against legalization of these practices, even as he considers both positions in the debate." "For those who need insight into the part played by legislators and courts of justice in recent euthanasia discussions, Neil M. Gorsuch's book . "Neil M. Gorsuch builds a powerful moral and legal argument against [assisted suicide's] legalization, one based on a principle that has largely been overlooked in the debate--the idea that human life is intrinsically valuable and that intentional killing is wrong." Gorsuch is especially successful when exploring the relevant legal cases raised by assisted-suicide and euthanasia advocacy." Every reader, whether or not ultimately persuaded by his arguments, will emerge better equipped to tackle the profound questions surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide. "Justice Gorsuch’s first published monograph is a philosophically informed argument for the inherent dignity of human life.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book shows how a good legal mind prepares. It surveys the examples, reasons, and consequences of assisted suicide and euthanasia. To the extent that the book catalogs as data the consequences of assisted suicide and euthanasia policy from other times and places I applaud it. The author supposes the lack of Blacks choosing assisted suicide in Oregon is evidence of it being a “cultural choice”. With less than 70 assisted suicides in any one year and 1 in 60 ratio of Blacks in Oregon, it is statistically very unlikely any Black person in Oregon wanting assistance would have had a Black physician to ask, one who would not see a professional risk in agreeing. Over half of USA suicides are with a gun, and a third of gun fatalities are suicides. The average gun dealer sells a gun used in a suicide every 5 years – almost certainly more often than a physician will ever be asked to assist suicide. Legal arguments establish no responsibility to the sellers or makers of guns – why would similar arguments not be valid for those who assist suicide? Early in the book “assisted suicide” is analyzed as a situation where the person assisting must have an intent that the other person will die. The author never seems to consider that assistant could be sincere in not wanting the person to die, but committed to supporting the individual right of choice."
"Excellent review of both issues."
"Excellent analysis of the legal and ethical pitfalls of adopting the assisted suicide regime."
"Extremely well written."
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"I liked it better when I read this material the first time in the 1984 article in the Indiana Law Journal, and an academic article published in 2000."
Best Surgery
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • This inspiring, exquisitely observed memoir finds hope and beauty in the face of insurmountable odds as an idealistic young neurosurgeon attempts to answer the question What makes a life worth living? At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naïve medical student “possessed,” as he wrote, “by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life” into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality. I’ll go on.’” When Breath Becomes Air is an unforgettable, life-affirming reflection on the challenge of facing death and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a brilliant writer who became both. And part comes from the way he conveys what happened to him—passionately working and striving, deferring gratification, waiting to live, learning to die—so well.” —Janet Maslin, The New York Times. The book brims with insightful reflections on mortality that are especially poignant coming from a trained physician familiar with what lies ahead.” — The Boston Globe. As he wrote to a friend: ‘It’s just tragic enough and just imaginable enough.’ And just important enough to be unmissable.” —Janet Maslin, The New York Times “Paul Kalanithi’s memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, written as he faced a terminal cancer diagnosis, is inherently sad. It is, despite its grim undertone, accidentally inspiring.” — The Washington Post “Paul Kalanithi’s posthumous memoir, When Breath Becomes Air, possesses the gravity and wisdom of an ancient Greek tragedy. [Kalanithi] is so likeable, so relatable, and so humble, that you become immersed in his world and forget where it’s all heading.” — USA Today “It’s [Kalanithi’s] unsentimental approach that makes When Breath Becomes Air so original—and so devastating. “Rattling, heartbreaking, and ultimately beautiful, the too-young Dr. Kalanithi’s memoir is proof that the dying are the ones who have the most to teach us about life.” —Atul Gawande “Thanks to When Breath Becomes Air, those of us who never met Paul Kalanithi will both mourn his death and benefit from his life. Kalanithi strives to define his dual role as physician and patient, and he weighs in on such topics as what makes life meaningful and how one determines what is most important when little time is left. This deeply moving memoir reveals how much can be achieved through service and gratitude when a life is courageously and resiliently lived.” — Publishers Weekly “A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular clarity . Kalanithi describes, clearly and simply, and entirely without self-pity, his journey from innocent medical student to professionally detached and all-powerful neurosurgeon to helpless patient, dying from cancer. Every doctor should read this book—written by a member of our own tribe, it helps us understand and overcome the barriers we all erect between ourselves and our patients as soon as we are out of medical school.” —Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery “A tremendous book, crackling with life, animated by wonder and by the question of how we should live. Paul Kalanithi lived and died in the pursuit of excellence, and by this testimonial, he achieved it.” —Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Ultimately there's not much triumph in it in the traditional sense but there is a dogged, quiet resilience and a frank earthiness that endures long after the last word appears. Dr. Kalanithi talks about his upbringing as the child of hardworking Indian immigrant parents and his tenacious and passionate espousal of medicine and literature. He speaks lovingly of his relationship with his remarkable wife - also a doctor - who he met in medical school and who played an outsized role in supporting him through everything he went through. He had a stunning and multifaceted career, studying biology and literature at Stanford, then history and philosophy of medicine at Cambridge, and finally neurosurgery at Yale. The mark of a man of letters is evident everywhere in the book, and quotes from Eliot, Beckett, Pope and Shakespeare make frequent appearances. Metaphors abound and the prose often soars: When describing how important it is to develop good surgical technique, he tells us that "Technical excellence was a moral requirement"; meanwhile, the overwhelming stress of late night shifts, hundred hour weeks and patients with acute trauma made him occasionally feel like he was "trapped in an endless jungle summer, wet with sweat, the rain of tears of the dying pouring down". The painful uncertainty which he documents - in particular the tyranny of statistics which makes it impossible to predict how a specific individual will react to cancer therapy - must sadly be familiar to anyone who has had experience with the disease. There are heartbreaking descriptions of how at one point the cancer seemed to have almost disappeared and how, after Dr. Kalanithi had again cautiously made plans for a hopeful future with his wife, it returned with a vengeance and he had to finally stop working."
"He says this, “The secret is to know that the deck is stacked, that you will lose, that your hands or judgment will slip, and yet still struggle to win …You can’t ever reach perfection, but you can believe in an asymptote toward which are ceaselessly striving. In the foreword by fellow doctor and writer Abraham Verghese, that doctor writes, “He (Paul) wasn’t writing about anything—he was writing about time and what it meant to him now, in the context of his illness.” And in the afterword by his wife Lucy, the meaning of that time becomes even clearer."
"The beautifully written epilogue, which was written by his wife Lucy, will break your heart, and give you hope at the same time. It never occurred to me that you could love someone the same way after he was gone, that I would continue to feel such love and gratitude alongside the terrible sorrow, the grief so heavy that at times I shiver and moan under the weight of it.""