2020 has clearly shown that real superheroes do not wear raincoats - they work in hospitals, saving the lives of hundreds of people every day, sometimes endangering their own health. From now on, wanting to become a doctor is like wanting to become an astronaut and fly in a rocket to explore distant worlds: this is the desire of those who are not alien to heroism. We made a selection of 11 books about those who are fighting for the lives of others, and medicine in general.
Evgeniya Rykalova
Publisher of T&P, has led and is in charge of marketing for the largest book publishers in the country
100 stories from the history of medicine. The greatest discoveries, exploits and crimes in the name of your health and longevity
Mikhail Shifrin
Alpina Publisher, 2019
The author of the book shares the history of evidence-based medicine of the 16th – 20th centuries, conveying it with the help of short illustrated stories, in which one can find both well-known and previously unknown facts. Despite the format, there is no place for fiction in the book - only information supported by scientific literature, memoirs, publications, interviews, archival materials and other reliable sources.
Notes of a cardiac surgeon. About heart, work and life
Samer Nashef
Alpina Publisher, 2020
The human heart and mind are historically in opposition, at least in philosophy. From the point of view of medicine, cardiac surgery is exactly the same, extremely interesting area of work and study, like neurosurgery. The author of the book, a famous British physician, popularly expounds information about the structure of the heart, one of the most important organs of our body, spicing up the theory with interesting cases from his own practice.
Saving lives is my profession. Memories of a Soviet surgeon
Yuri Abramov
Alpina Publisher Publishing House, 2020
Collection of memoirs of the famous Soviet and Russian surgeon about the times of his work in the era of the USSR. Yuri Abramov describes in detail and very clearly various cases from his medical practice, not bypassing such aspects as the extreme psychological stress of the doctor responsible for the patient's life, the joy of recovery and despair of death. In addition to memories, the author of the book also shares useful life recommendations.
It will hurt: the story of a doctor who retired from the profession at the peak of his career
Adam Kay
Bombor Publishing House, 2020
We rarely seriously realize that the doctors who treat us are exactly the same people with their own difficulties, joys and fears. Of which, due to the peculiarities of the profession, sometimes there are even more, and they are in many ways unique. In this book, the author shares his own revelations about the path that he went through: from a young doctor to the complete end of his career. Sometimes sad, sometimes funny story, which is unlikely to leave indifferent.
Unnatural reasons. Forensic Notes: High-profile Murders, Horrific Terrorist Attacks, and Confusing Cases
Richard Shepherd
Bombor Publishing House, 2020
A person's body can say a lot about how he lives, and no less about how he died. The work of a forensic scientist, when death is sudden or inexplicable, is a kind of work of a detective who, bit by bit, collects a picture of what happened. The author of this book, a physician who, among other things, was involved in the death of Princess Diana, shares intriguing stories from his own practice.
The heart of the surgeon. Original edition
Fedor Uglov
AST Publishing House, 2020
The publishers say the book is "the best medical novel of the 20th century, written long before interest in medical series and books emerged." And it is likely that this is true. The book is a real diary of the practice of the surgeon Fyodor Uglov, starting from the days of the besieged Leningrad, when he began working in a hospital. Readers will find a frank, honest story without embellishment, with a twisted plot, culmination and denouement.
Do no harm. Stories about life, death and neurosurgery
Henry Marsh
Bombor Publishing House, 2020
Could you take on the responsibility that lies in the hands of any physician, and especially a surgeon working in such a delicate field as neurosurgery? People tend to make mistakes, but does a doctor have the right to make a mistake and is this knowledge capable of consoling when someone becomes a victim of incompetence? An exciting, extremely frank and poignant book, the main idea of which can be summed up in two short words: “do no harm”.
Compass of the heart. The story of how an ordinary boy became a great surgeon, unraveling the secrets of the brain and the secrets of the heart
James Doty
Eksmo Publishing House, 2020
The book is unique in that, although there is room for memories, it is not just another doctor's memoir. And while it has a success story, it is also not motivational literature. And then what? First of all, this is a book-discourse on what to do when the most cherished dream comes true, you achieve your goals and suddenly realize that you have not become happier from it.
When the breath dissolves into air Sometimes fate doesn't care that you are a doctor
Paul Kalaniti
Eksmo Publishing House, 2020
Another book that can bring you back to life and help you find strength in order to overcome even the most difficult obstacles. The author of the book is a neurosurgeon who was diagnosed with lung cancer of the fourth degree at the age of 36. Perfectly understanding what awaits him next, Kalaniti did not give up, but continued to strive for more. His first and last book is a tribute to the will to live and positive thinking, even against the backdrop of the most negative events.
Vocation. On Choice, Duty, and Neurosurgery
Henry Marsh
Bombor Publishing House, 2020
A kind of continuation of the book that was included in the selection a little higher - "Do No Harm" - this book does not stand on ceremony with the readers, posing the most acute and uncomfortable questions to him. Difficult choices, life and death, mistakes and guilt, failures and victories, and most importantly, how to come to terms with all this when you are nothing more than an ordinary person. On which, however, a lot depends.
Chasing life. The story of a doctor who beat death and saved himself and others from an incurable disease
David Feigenbaum
Mann, Ivanov and Ferber Publishing, 2020
The author of the book is a man who found a new approach to treating his condition, an extremely severe and rare Castleman disease, and helped not only himself, but others as well. Seeking treatment between relapses and hospitalizations, David was able to see the fruits of his hard work. This book is an incredible story of what can happen when determination, love, family, faith, and fluke merge.