Category Archives: Medical

Review: NDF novels #4

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A Life in Trauma
Memoirs of An Emergency Physician
Chris Luke

“Concern. Compassion. Doubt. Despair. Anger. Hope. Imagine juggling these feelings every day in a situation where your work could mean the difference between someone’s life or death.” I confess that I didn’t finish ‘reading’ this book (I read it as an audiobook). I found the tone to be extremely dry and everything was delivered in a flat tone of voice. The only reason that I got most of the way through it was because I had a 4 hour commute by myself, and I forgot to download a different book! That being said, I still enjoyed this book more than Undoctored.

Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas
Adam Kay

Another audiobook that I listened to. Plenty of interesting trauma stories as long as you filter out the voice of Adam Kay. What can I say? I was super bored, this was short, and I could easily tune out of it to pay attention to the rest of the conversations in the room. After awhile it became a bit more repeditive (the same stupid people still do stupid things at Christmas). Someone keen for more Adam Kay is going to love it, someone wanting to hear more about the lives of medical doctors will probably cringe and enjoy it in equal measures.

Made in China
Anna Qu

This book read like a sensationalised novel, and I’m not certain I got something particularly valuable out of it. I have read many other books about the experiences of Chinese immigrants, some that are memoirs (Mao’s Last Dancer, Shanghai Acrobat) and others that are fictional (Tiger Daughter). This is the second in a series of unremarkable memoirs I’ve read recently. I wouldn’t pay to buy this book, and I’m sad at home much time I spent reading it. I don’t think that the story within is particularly unique any more. There’s usually not much to comment on for a non-fiction novel, and this one even more so.

Review: Samer Nashef – The Naked Surgeon

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The Naked Surgeon
The power and peril of transparency in medicine
Samer Nashef

“We are not meant to touch hearts. We all have one, but most of us will never see one. The heart surgeon now has that privilege but, for centuries, the heart was out of reach even for surgeons. So when a surgeon nowadays opens up a ribcage and mends a heart, it remains something of a miracle, even if, to some, it is merely plumbing. As with plumbers, the quality of surgeons’ work varies. As with plumbers, surgeons’ opinion of their own prowess and their own attitude to risk are not always reliable. Measurement is key. We’ve had a century of effective evidence-based medicine. We’ve had barely a decade of thorough monitoring of clinical outcomes.”

As someone who has a regrettably bad grasp on statistics, this book was fantastic! It explained some pretty complex modelling scenarios in a way that didn’t make me feel stupid and that I’m certain a non-scientist would understand. I didn’t expect to enjoy reading it, but the author does a great job delivering the material in a way that kept me preferentially keep going over other parallel reads I was doing. Also, I felt the need to share some random facts with others in my vicinity. Cool stuff!

It’s terrifying to think about the success rates of some of the earliest surgical interventions. Reading old veterinary novels (eg. James Herriot) reminds us of a time when medicine wasn’t actually all that good at fixing things! I think that’s it’s quite common that if you are facing surgery you just trust that the surgeon is going to do the right thing, and try to get a good outcome for you. This is particularly true in Australia and Britain where the public health system is free/low cost. This book is a timely reminder to check your options and seek a second opinion if you need one. Trust doctors, but also do your own research.

This book was quite British based, but still has relevance to healthcare around the globe. I found it so interesting to see that my preconception that governments see the most ‘efficient treatment’ to be the cheapest as true. Sometimes (perhaps even always?) this might lead to poorer patient outcome in terms of survival – because someone who dies on the operating table doesn’t have any expensive post-surgery rehab!

I recently lost an uncle to a mostly unexpected heart attack after he’d already had a successful intervention earlier in the year. I’m certain that his surgeon is one of the ones who obsesses over those that they lose and improves from that loss. The other heart scenario I have personally encountered is an aortic dissection – which is actually quite rare! All this sends home the message that even though heart surgery has come a long way it’s still better to keep yourself in shape to stay out of the operating theatre.

It’s a book best ‘enjoyed’ slowly, so that you can let the statistics sink in. I’d keenly read more books by this author, if he chooses to share his thoughts on other medical topical matters.

Review: NDF novels #3

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Believe
Sam Frost

I tried so hard to like this book because I requested it for review. I was expecting it to have actionable points to improve my life. Instead, I got some serious navel-gazing by the author that didn’t encourage me to keep reading. I am a fan of ‘believing’ in yourself, but I’m also not a subscriber to the idea that if you ‘just believe’ you’ll find everything you need coming your way. Sam’s words around her anxiety and depression didn’t work for me, but might appeal to others. I’m always hesitant to recommend a book that suggests you can just think your way out of being anxious and depressed – sometimes medication is a must, and books like this one can occasionally actually make people think drugs are optional or the easy option. It wasn’t for me.

Hachette | 30 March 2022 | AU$32.99 | paperback

Mind Fuel
Bear Grylls

Who doesn’t like Bear Grylls? Known for his survival beyond the odds, Bear Grylls has plenty of tips to share of how to overcome fears and achieve feats! I’ve grouped this book with ‘Believe’ though, because once again it’s all about the power of the mind. I was hoping for a inspirational read of some of the science behind surviving crazy environments, and instead got a series of quotes from other people that Bear Grylls seems to think are important. I’m never fond of quote books at the best of times, and this one, with random quotes for a year, I just couldn’t get into. I tried reading from the beginning, reading one a day, jumping into the middle of the book – nope, no good. I’m not even really sure who to recommend this book to, because liking Bear Grylls didn’t make the book more accessible for me.

Hachette | 11 October 2022 | AU$34.99 | paperback

You Can Do It
How to find your voice and make a difference
Marcus Rashford & Carl Anka

This lime-green book is the final one in this set of three horrible self-help books that I couldn’t get into and enjoy (and thus left them sitting on my shelf for almost a year before calling it done). This book promises a nice mix of stories, hot-tips and advice to keep you on your footballing toes. For me though it ended up just being more ‘believe in yourself’ advice. I really wanted to like it! I felt sure that I’d enjoy it – I absolutely think that young people need more support to become themselves. The big print text and shoutouts didn’t work for me as I’d much prefer to read a bit more dense text. I think I’ll give it to my local teenage reader and see what she thinks of it. Ultimately though, I think it’s destined to leave my house.

Pan Macmillan | 26 July 2022 | AU$19.99 | paperback

Review: Phillipa McGuinness – Skin Deep

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Skin Deep
Phillipa McGuinness

“This is a book about skin. The strange wonderfulness of our bodily covering. What happens to it when something goes wrong. How the world responds to imperfection and difference. It’s about how skin makes us who we are. Skin serves as a barrier between us and the germs that would otherwise invade and destroy us. You will intuitively compile information and judgements about a stranger based on their skin and the clothing that covers it. Skin shouldn’t give you the measure of a person but we function as if it does.”

This is filled with interesting factiods about skin! I found it very dense reading (it had so many LAYERS hahaha), and I couldn’t just keep reading on through it. I wanted to take notes at times, because some of the things that the author described were fascinating. I put this book down and took a long while to pick it up again. I wasn’t sure if I could cram more information into my brain that isn’t directly relevant to my day job at the moment (sad, but true).

I’d recommend this as not-particularly-light reading for almost anyone! The science is definitely quite dense, but it has multiple powerful messages. I particularly liked the discussion of ‘race’ and how skin colour (which we have known for a long time is linked to multiple genes and factors) is almost completely irrelevant to a person’s rate. Well worth reading, and probably worth sharing around in your family, even if you sell it off as ‘well, read it so you’ll be convinced to get your skin checked for skin cancer!’

Penguin | 16 March 2022 | AU$34.99 | paperback

Review: Amanda Brown – The Prison Doctor

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The Prison Doctor
Amanda Brown

“Dr Amanda Brown has treated inmates in the UK’s most infamous prisons – first in young offenders’ institutions, then at the notorious Wormwood Scrubs and finally at Europe’s largest women-only prison in Europe, Bronzefield. From miraculous pregnancies to dirty protests, and from violent attacks on prisoners to heartbreaking acts of self-harm, she has witnessed it all. In this memoir, Amanda reveals the stories, the patients and the cases that have shaped a career helping those most of us would rather forget.”

I’m always keen to read medical stuff. I’m not quite sure what I expected from this book though. I think I could have had more juicy medical stories in terms of ailments treated, rather than the somewhat introspective tone approach taken here. As the Prison Doctor says though, it’s not her job technically to judge based on the prisoners’ crimes, it’s up to her to treat their medical problems.

Perhaps reading this sharply on the heels of I am a Killer has desensitised me to crime and criminals? They did what they did, now they do their time. Sometimes I wonder whether death would be a kinder sentence, particularly with how many try to kill themselves or self-harm in horrifying ways. We have to remember though that this book only addresses some of the criminals in the system, and the doctor can’t possibly see everyone. That means there’s some people whose stories are hidden – and will continue to have this. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert in criminology.

Are my complaints going to prevent me from reading the next book in the series? Hmm, probably not. I wouldn’t bother purchasing this book though, I’d just find a copy at my local library or borrow from a friend. It’s an easier read, and I’m not judging it for that.

Review: Prudence Wheelwright – The Flying Nurse

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The Flying Nurse
Prudence Wheelwright

“Prue Wheelwright is still in her thirties but she’s already had a fascinating, action-packed career. As a nurse and midwife she has worked in remote Australia as well as parts of the world that are remote to Australia, thanks to her work with Médécins sans Frontières. From treating patients at the most basic bush hospital in Ethiopia to looking after members of the Saudi royal family in Riyadh to the work she has just begun with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Prue has seen the extremes of humanity and has the stories to prove it. Above all this is the story of a woman who is passionate about her work – that work just happens to be in a profession that means she puts her heart on the line, every single day. And she wouldn’t change a thing.”

Is this allowed to be a memoir when its author is still so young? Prue packs a lot into these pages and I am keen to read more! This seems like part 1 of her career, and I can’t wait to read more. There’s plenty of variety in her stories and the opportunities that she’s taken up are mind-boggling in their differences. From letting her mom pick nursing (or teaching) as a career for her, Prue has thrived in the unique environments she’s found herself in.

I was particularly tickled by Prue’s descriptions of her time in Riyadh, which is in a very strict Muslim country. Imagine not being able to treat your patients because they are royalty! Not to mention her creative approach to clothing under the Abaya or niqab in public places…

What I enjoyed about this book compared to Frontline Midwife, was that the author didn’t seem to hold the view that everyone should be able to, and should aim to, have children. It’s also interesting to have another view of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) and how the experiences are similar yet literally countries apart. I’d highly recommend this book as a must-read for anyone considering nursing as a career. I’ve got a niece in mind to give this book to!

It seems to me that medical professionals are some of the most valuable people world-wide. As an educator, I’d like to argue that education is the way forward but basic medical care perhaps has to come first. I’m going to keep living vicariously through these medical memoirs (The Combat Doctor, Frontline Midwife, Aussie Midwives) and know that there is no way I could be a nurse.

Hachette | 29 March 2023 | AU$34.99 | paperback

Review: Adam Kay – Undoctored

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Undoctored
The Story of a Medic Who Ran Out of Patients
Adam Kay

“Now, Adam Kay returns and will once again have you in stitches in his painfully funny and startlingly powerful follow-up, Undoctored: The Story of a Medic Who Ran Out of Patients. In his most honest and incisive book yet, he reflects on what’s happened since hanging up his scrubs and examines a life inextricably bound up with medicine. Battered and bruised from his time on the NHS frontline, Kay looks back, moves forwards and opens up some old wounds.”

The title of this book is misleading. It suggests that Dr Kay literally ran out of patients, and mislead me into believing that this book was going to tell me how it happened! Instead, it’s a chronocle of sorts about his life after leaving medicine with a few bits of past-medical scenarios thrown in. I found it unsurprising that the medical system in the UK is just as broken for training doctors as Australia!

I read this book in a little under 3 hours – there wasn’t too much there that took me time to digest and contemplate. I felt that the humour felt crude to me and I wouldn’t read his other books for that reason. I think it is a loss to medicine that he gave up medicine – all those years of training and money put into it. I confess that I just don’t find a comedian to be as personally valuable to me as a doctor.

I’m not saying that Dr Kay’s experience should be overlooked or isn’t as valid as someone else’s trauma. However I didn’t find the book particularly funny or insightful. I’ve been blessed by some excellent non-fiction lately in this genre, and this book in comparison felt a bit cheap and left me undewhelmed. I definitely felt that I’d wasted my time and not gotten anything out of it.

This book is going to be best for someone with a British sense of humour and who has read the past books by Dr Kay. It’s not for me, and I think that Australians have far better sources of medical memiors at home.

Hachette | 13 September 2022 | AU$32.99 | paperback

Review: Dan Pronk – The Combat Doctor

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The Combat Doctor
Dan Pronk

“Dr Dan Pronk served on over 100 combat missions in Afghanistan as a frontline special forces combat doctor, where the casualties he treated were his fellow SAS soldiers and commandos, local civilians and even the enemy. The thrill of adventure and the challenges of battlefield medicine brought out the very best in Dan; he discovered a sense of purpose in pushing his medical skills and courage to the limits. But there was a cost. The Combat Doctor is an extraordinary story of resilience and growth, and a tribute to the doctors and medics working behind the scenes in conflict around the world.”

How can someone so bright, be so dumb? If you are smart enough to get into medical school, surely you are smart enough to realise that military retaliation isn’t actually a bright idea most of the time. I understand the incredible and exciting challenge that you need to undertake to get into the special forces, but at the same time uh, isn’t creating long term medical problems like a bung knee a problem? It seems like a bit of a boys’ club, and that was always going to put my back up.

I find it extraordinary and rather depressing that millions of dollars are pumped into the military. If we are looking at the number of lives saved by an intervention, surely something like the medical problems described in Frontline Midwife would be a better use of funding. The more I think about it, the more upset I feel.

Oh dear. I saw that Hamish Blake had read and given a review and I was seriously worried about the book from then onwards. I guess I was hoping that this would have juicy details on how combat medicine actually works in terms of common injuries or treatments. What I got was a fresh face on the deaths that have occurred in the Australian military in quite recent history. It’s pointless! We live in Australia, I’m pretty sure that noone wants to invade here. The worst threat we’ve had are fires that needed the Navy to evacuate people.

I wouldn’t recommend this as reading. However, if someone else is super keen on the military and you want them to read SOMETHING then perhaps this is a good pick. It’s not badly written, it’s quite a good read, I guess I just disagree with the need for it.

Pan Macmillan | 30 August 2022 | AU$36.99 | paperback

Review: Dinesh Palipana – Stronger

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Stronger
Dinesh Palipana

“A puddle of water on a highway changed Dinesh Palipana’s life forever. Halfway through medical school, Dinesh was involved in a catastrophic car accident that caused a cervical spinal cord injury. After his accident, his strength and determination saw him return to complete medical school – now with quadriplegia. Dinesh was the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland, and the second person with quadriplegia to graduate medical school in Australia.”

I didn’t really expect to enjoy this book, but Dr Palipana brings a hint of humour into everything. You’d think reading a book about someone who lost almost all his physical abilities would be quite depressing. Instead, this book is a tribute to the author’s resiliance and persistance. To some extent, it also exposes some of the negative aspects of living across different countries and having family that you aren’t sure how to work with.

This was quite easy reading, despite being a potentially tough subject. I finished it off in two sittings, and didn’t really need a brain-break in between. I wasn’t rushed to finish it, but I did want to know the ending. I still don’t know how he manages to get enough sleep!

The fact that the Australian medical system can change even a little to prepare an excellent Dr is amazing, and I hope to see more evidence from the author creating change from his experiences. I meet many doctors in my work, and I know that they are scarily smart! But, as Dr. Palipana says, it’s less about smarts, and more about the emotional connection that you can form with patients. Being a doctor isn’t about being ‘able-bodied’, being a doctor is a vocation and needs someone with compassion. Let’s hope for more of that in the future.

Pan Macmillan | 26 July 2022 | AU$32.99 | paperback

Review: Ben Bravery – The Patient Doctor

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The Patient Doctor
Ben Bravery

“At the age of twenty-eight, with his Beijing-based science communications business doing well and a new relationship blossoming, Ben Bravery woke from a colonoscopy to be told he had stage 3 colorectal cancer…. Now, driven by his experience on both sides of the healthcare system, this patient-turned-doctor gives a no-holes-barred account of how he overcame the trauma of his illness to study medicine and shares what he believes student doctors, doctors, patients and their families need to do to ensure that the medical system puts the patient at the very heart of healthcare every day.”

Hmm, this was an interesting book, but not an outstanding one. While it was interesting to see the way that Ben-as-a-patient affected Ben-as-a-medical-student, it wasn’t anything particularly new to me. I also already had some pretty in-depth knowledge about how broken the medical system is in Australia.

The medical training provided to doctors in Australia is good in some ways (covers a lot of important information, very physiology/anatomy based) but bad in others. It seems to pay lip service to making compassionate great communicators out of doctors. As Ben exposes again in his book, there’s just so much crammed in and an idea that providing patient-centred care will take longer in a workplace where doctors are already overwhelmed.

It was fascinating to me that I saw the changing hospital/specialist centre size from both a patient (this book) and a nurse (A Caring Life) perspective. I also find it of interest because we usually assume that larger medical clinics will be better specialised to help people, even if this isn’t necessarily accurate. I felt that Ben’s attitude and understanding of his condition (and the humour he had to offer) was impacted by doctors the most. Now I’ll be waiting for a fully-fledged doctor’s thoughts on the system at the time!

I’d love to see a memoir or non-fiction from a higher up hospital administrator who is responsible for some of the funding and why student doctors / specialists / surgeons / every medical professional in the system are so overworked. I’m all for making sure doctors aren’t unemployed, but being underemployer or overworked is not good enough.

I am grateful that I live in Australia and healthcare is free. That’s reason enough that I might just be happiest with whoever I see in a hospital. What Ben advocates and encourages through his book is for patients and their families to feel confident speaking up for themselves. That’s something easier said than done, but I think it could be done.

I’d recommend this for readers interested in what it looks like to be a complicated cancer patient and the beginning trials of medical school. There’s some humour to keep it light, even if overall I think the book is a picture of the complicated nature of healthcare in Australia.

Hachette | 29 June 2022 | AU$32.99 | paperback