On Doctoring

the long version

This new, larger edition of On Doctoring is an extraordinary collection of stories, poems, and essays written by physicians and non-physicians alike - works that record what it is like to be sick, to be cured, to lose, or to triumph. Drawing on the full spectrum of human emotions, the selections range from John Donne's classic "Death Be Not Proud" to Pablo Neruda's "Larynx," the terrified voice of a man who thinks he is on the verge of dying; to Lewis Thomas's "House Calls," a heartwarming memoir of the man who inspired Dr. Thomas to enter medicine - his father; to James Dickey's poem about a courageous bout with cancer, "The Cancer Match"; to Linda Pastan's delightfully wry account of giving birth in "Notes from the Delivery Room." At a time when medicine is becoming more and more technical and institutionalized, the book captures the breadth and wonder of the medical profession, reminding us of what it is really all about. Representing the issues, concerns, and challenges facing doctors and patients alike, On Doctoring is at once illuminating and provocative. It is a book you will reach for time and again - a celebration of life and of a profession that helps make life possible.