Book:Text type :
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales
Author: Oliver Sacks
Publisher: Touchstone
Costs: approx. $10.78 USD on Amazon.com
ISBN Number: 0684853949
Discussion : While not purely related to EMS, this book certainly can affect how you practice. Learn why not every "crazy" person is crazy and how psychiatry is linked to neurology as Dr. Sacks (a neurologist) takes you through the more interesting patients that he has seen, the consequences of their disorder, and sometimes the surprisingly simple "cure" found along the way, all the while adding clinical (ex. how Tourette's and Parkinson's is linked) and historical observations (ex. how Tourette's seemed to disappear, and then suddenly reappear again).
The format of the book is a narrative describing what happened to the patient (almost like in PCR form, starting, generally, with how he became involved in a case) from Dr. Sack's prospective. Most of the patients in the book are followed from the beginning of their disease (be it from drinking or from a bad drug reaction) through to a "cure" for the patient, if there is one. Following the narrative is an in-depth discussion of the case. In my opinion, the narrative was much more engaging and interesting. Some of the discussions tend to drag on for pages and can probably be skipped without the reader missing too much. Many of the disorders are discussed more then once to show how different patients cope (or not) with the disorder as well as giving each disorder a spectrum of severity
I would put this book at a high school graduate reading level. The biology is not bad because he does explain what is happening in general terms (such as defining the function of the Mammillary bodies) or the disease (Korsakoff syndrome's affect on the Mammillary bodies). While any technical or Latin word can be inferred from the reading (agnosia, for example), it might be helpful to have a dictionary nearby to help.
Pro and Con's" Pros: Clinical narratives are very interesting. It gives another look on why some people might seem to be crazy (like the man who leaned when he walked and didn't know about it). Shows how innovation might be just as important as drugs and procedures.
Cons: Discussions tend to be overwhelming and less useful. Some terms that come up are overly technical.
Summary: It isn't going to teach you to diagnose or treat, but the new prospective is well worth taking the time to read it.
Book:
The House of God: The Classic Novel of Life and Death in an American Hospital
Author:
Samuel Shem
Publisher: Dell
Cost: $10-15
ISBN-10: 0385337388
Discussion:
It's a satire on hospital residencies, but several of the terms and "Laws of the House of God" have made their way into EMS usage [LOL in NAD, Gomer, the first thing to do at a cardiac arrest is to take your own pulse]. Similarly, the picture of interns starting off fresh out of class with little to no experience providing patient care seemed eerily similar to starting off fresh out of Basic class. While definitely not for novice providers [the cynicism could be a turn off], it should be a must read at some point for all providers.
