I want to thank my fellow ‘ballers for bringing this book to my attention. I work in museums, and I have two conferences this month in Philadelphia. This meant that if I timed some things correctly, and gave myself a day, I could actually go to a couple museums in Philly. Let it be said that after living less than three hours away from the city for over 6 years I finally managed to go sightseeing in Philadelphia this week. Go me! As part of […]
The True Story of an American Revolutionary
A fascinating true story of a revolutionary figure in the history of American medicine who has for some reason remained in obscurity – until now. Aptowicz’s well-researched and, even more importantly, well-written biography of Dr. Thomas Dent Mutter has all the excitement of a true thriller. Clearly entranced by her subject. Aptowicz introduces us to a dazzling innovator in the field of medicine, who not only saved countless lives with his introduction into the U.S. of the virtually non-existent field of “radical surgery” (what we […]
Breathing for Two
This is a wonderful short little book. I picked it up because Goodreads recommended it based on my reading history, and I’m glad I did. Wolf Pascoe is the pen name of an anesthesiologist (and blogger). In these 102 pages, he basically muses about his job. Anaesthesia has a long history, starting with Ondine of Greek mythology, but a relatively short modern history, starting in the 1840s with the use of ether. Pascoe starts with that and from there intertwines his poetic and philosophical musings with more concrete discussion (although […]
A Better Life and a Better Death
Though I haven’t read Atul Gawande’s most famous book, Complications, I read Better a year or so ago and found it compelling and thoughtful. As a result, I was intrigued by the prospect of his most recent book, Being Mortal, about medicine and end-of-life issues, including the story of Gawande’s father’s battle with cancer. Yet, I put off reading it for a bit because a book about death and dying isn’t exactly something you eagerly jump into. However, once I saw it on the best-seller […]