I've thought a lot about it and I've decided that this little gem is my all-time favorite medical text! I'm sure I'm not alone on that one, this book being a bit of a celebrity in the medical world. Not only is it a comprehensive but concise text, containing all major medical and even surgical topics, but it also mixes it up with a little literature! When I first saw it, I loved it straight away. It's small size and the clear way it presented disease and management was everything I ever wanted in a medical book. It cuts out the BS and really gets down to the nitty-gritty. Essentially it's like your revision notes have been made for you, all you have to do is read, underline/ highlight and memorize (I hate writing/highlighting my books..the most I'll do is use a pencil to underline but never more!) and ponder. However, it goes beyond being just a simple medical text containing facts and figures. The intelligence and compassion of the authors is evident from their exploration of the importance of not losing sight of the human aspect of medicine. The importance of seeing the bigger picture, the whole story, the patients story. When I was first reading it and came across poems by Ted Hughes and mentions of Silvia Plath and James Joyce etc I nearly shed a tear of joy. Such a beautiful way of educating people, creating wonderful and compassionate minds. Such scholastic brilliance!
The authors try to open the mind of the reader to the world around them, to the those things that may be overlooked when one becomes lost in the factual details. Medicine isn't as simple as diagnosing and treating a disease, it goes way beyond that. Among other things, it's about understanding, empathizing, respecting and being compassionate. It's so easy to remove oneself from the emotional, spiritual and human side of things as one gets desensitized to illness and death. I see my peers (and I'm sure they see my faults too, but one doesn't see oneself as you do others) and wonder how it is that some of them are prone to treating some patients, for example patients with broken English, as if they were devoid of personality or opinions. It really gets me frustrated and angry and I wonder how they can be exposed to the fragility of life and yet be so compassion-less?
Here's the extract of a Ted Hughes poem called The Lodger, that comes under the cardiovascular history section:
"At night on my pillow the syncopated stagger
Of the pulse in my ear: Russian roulette:
Every heartbeat a fresh throw of the dice...
Hypochondria walked, holding my arm
Like a nurse, her fingers over my pulse...
The sudden lapping at my throat of loose blood."
It's so beautiful how it ties in so perfectly with the medical text.
I've recently upgraded from the the 6th edition to the 8th. I'm a bit late in doing this upgrade... the 6th ed. is somewhat dated... Anyhow I thought I'd write this post in honor of the old and the new! I really hope my love for this book, will lead me to devour it in its entirety and so I will be well prepared for my finals! Here's to praying and hoping! *clink*
I have to confess that I'm a little bit of a cheater. You see I haven't been exclusive with my love, I have another lover on the side. Naughty I know, but does it make it better if I say that it's the cousin of the OHCM? Haha, it's the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialties! I love this little blue book too. It's just as good and has the same wise approach to teaching. Also there's an illustration of an apple tree on the inside cover of the book and each fruit on the tree has the name of a historically significant physician. From Hippocrates to Ibn Sina. Perfect!
0 comments:
Post a Comment