The Medical Detectives: The Classic Collection of Award-Winning Medical Investigative Reporting

by Berton Roueché

This is a classic collection of 25 true narratives of medical investigative reporting by award-winning journalist Berton Roueché. Readers of "The New Yorker" may be familiar with the author's suspenseful tales of strange illnesses, rare diseases, poisons and parasites.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Medicine, Medical, Health, History, Short Stories

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Berton Roueché was a medical writer who wrote for The New Yorker magazine for almost fifty years. He also wrote twenty books, including Eleven Blue Men (1954), The Incurable Wound (1958), Feral (1974), and The Medical Detectives (1980). An article he wrote for The New Yorker was made into the 1956 film Bigger Than Life, and many of the medical mysteries on the television show House were inspired by Roueché's writings.

Reviews

[Simona B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible and gripping. I was unable to put it down and couldn't bear to separate from it even for the two short days I spent on vacation in Cefalù, Sicily. Everybody was having a fun time doing normal beach activities usually enjoyed by all sane and healthy human beings, but of course I, being me, decided to use my time in one of the most beautiful seaside resorts in the Mediterranean to read the case of a man who died from undiagnosed anthrax in the mid-1960s, along with Other Tales of Medical Misadventures and the Doctors Who Straightened Them Out.
Yeah, I definitely had a blast.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Updating this rating to 5 stars (January 6th, 2008), because it was one of the five best books I read in 2007.


This "classic collection of award-winning medical investigative reporting", published in 1988, is an excellent book. Each of the 25 case studies originally appeared as an "Annals of medicine" piece in the New Yorker, and there's not a dud in the bunch. It's like 25 "House" episodes, but without the gratuitous obnoxiousness, condescension to the reader, or the ridiculous constraint that only a limping, misanthropic painkiller addict can be right.

I found these essays much more satisfying than those in the Oliver Sacks collection I also sampled over the weekend ("An anthropologist on Mars"). Not sure why, but there is something about Dr Sacks that rubs me the wrong way - at the very least, I'd be happier if he cut all his chapters by 50%, I don't find his ruminations nearly as fascinating as he apparently does. I suspect I'm in the minority on this one, as each new collection of his seems to receive universal acclaim. Furthermore, to be fair, the possibility has to be acknowledged that my vague "I do not like thee Doctor Fell" reaction to Sacks can be traced back to nothing more than damning him by association with Robin Williams. Because didn't Williams portray the Sacks-figure in "Awakenings"? After which there are just two words left: PATCH ADAMS ....

Note to self: strive to be a less shallow person in 2008.

In conclusion, Roueche's "The Medical Detectives" is an awesome collection. 25 fascinating case studies, each concisely and elegantly presented. 4.5 stars.

[Aamil Syed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read because it presented medical facts and histories of diseases and their epidemiology in an incredibly accessible manner. It's not easy to make non fiction enjoyable, more so when you're writing about the gruesome subject of disease! But Berton Roueché does a splendid job of that.

The cases have been written in the manner of detective stories and make for really riveting reading. The stories I liked the most was that of Rabies, mass hysteria and of course, typhoid Mary.

[Isha Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went to a lot of trouble to find this book and it was all well worth it. It was a very interesting and sometimes suspenseful read. Some of the cases were easy to guess. Before I read this book I didn't think that epidemiology was a particularly interesting field of medicine (in my defense my only knowledge of epidemiology is from a few episodes of Chicago Med and an epidemiologist who taught us community medicine and put us to sleep), but this book certainly changes that. It was fascinating. Since it was originally published in 1980 some of the medicine is a bit outdated, but it also provides a historical perspective into some diseases and treatments, which is a win win. If you are into medical mysteries like in House MD, I definitely recommend.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite books from childhood--it's very old-fashioned (when's the last time you thought of Farrah Fawcett-Majors as a current fad?), and medically/socially out-of-date, but most of these essays still have the thrill of a good episode of House (note: it's never Lupus). Some of these I believe were episodes of House. Heroes are not the doctors (who are basically good and pragmatic, occasionally wry), or the patients (who are confused, pathetic, simply drawn)--it's the group procedural detective work, and the wonderful, New Yorker-style editing. Some favorites: "Eleven Blue Men," "Two Blue Hands," "Sandy"--but all are good like chocolate.

[Dr.Nouf AlKaabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book have changed my idea about epidimiology. For someone like me, who loves sherlock holmes, Agatha christie and every detective and detection story, this book was the best ever. Although it was written along time ago but I found it to be usful and it helped me a lot. planing to read it again, and more than that, to study it.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! Roueche was a writer for the New Yorker, covering medical mystery stories. This book was suggested to me by Maggie Merman, a doctor in Atlanta whom I rotated with when I was a medical student. I'm so glad I had written it down and then thought to order it when I ran across it online a couple of years ago. Fabulous stories about all sorts of medical mysteries: the blue men, an orange man, a case of rabies, a case of a boy poisoned by his blue jeans... It's fascinating to see how the epidemiologists traced the cases. Also, Roueche has a funny, almost poetic way of describing certain things. His descriptions of ticks and of the rabies virus are great. I was thrilled reading through the book to run across several people I knew who were interviewed and were characters in the stories - among them, Dr. Phil Brachman my thesis advisor in public health, Dr. Jonas Shulman from Emory, and others. The stories are written in lay terms, so they are each to follow.

[Andrei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jon Bentley mentions this book in his "Programming Pearls" (2nd ed.) as one of the best books on software debugging. It is a great book indeed - even though some of the cases described are clearly dated, the very approach of scientifically dissecting the case by elimination of possibilities, is indeed very similar to the process that we use to debug and troubleshoot programs.

There are quite a few similarities between debugging a program and finding what is going wrong with human body: in both cases we do not possess the full picture, and we have to approach the problem with a number of tools for analyzing the data, then by gradually taking new measurements and tweaking 'inputs' (introducing medicine or introducing new data) we observe the change in the output.

Great read for anyone who enjoys learning more about science, engineering, or medicine.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The way these were written, they weren't really mysteries so my expectations let me down. (I'm sure it's just a feature of the time in which they were originally written.) I gave up 25% of the way through, which is something I have learned to do in the past few years. So many books, so little time so I spend it on books that I really like.

[Vader · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish

[Rachel C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a solid month of pervasive distraction and anxiety, I have thankfully regained my ability to do sustained reading.

This is an old book of my dad's from his MPH days. Recommended for people who have an amateur interest in diagnostic medicine and epidemiology.

[Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read on medical mysteries and their often baffling symptoms and origins. These cases span a period from the late 40's to the early 1970's. One thing that particularly stands out is the fact based science employed by the scientists and doctors in diagnosing and treating the various illnesses and conditions of the afflicted.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this highly fascinating and entertaining, though I would not recommend it for the hypochondriacal (is that a word?) among us since it basically goes through all the weird medical ailments you might possibly have...which I find so interesting! Basically a collection of medical short stories, but engagingly written and an interesting look at some unusual ailments and the diagnostic/epidemiologist work of the time.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating medical detective stories relating the way epidemiologists and other professionals trace and track down the causes of obscure illness. My favorite was Two Blue Hands. Accounts are very detailed; someone compared them to voice overs for the old Dragnet TV show. Easy enough to understand, though, if you have the patience and want to be absorbed by strange and interesting tales of illness.

[Pancha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of articles that ran in the New Yorker from the later '50s to the late '80s. The stories are interesting, but perhaps even more fascinating is the glimpse into the recent past before small pox was eradicated, when bats where just become known as vectors for rabies, when aspirin was the best treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

[Mai · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mix of riveting, touching, and even darkly humorous stories that make parasites, food poisoning, and rare conditions as fascinating as any fictional whodunit.

Favorites:

Eleven Blue Men
A Game of Wild Indians
CH3CO2C6H4CO2H (Aspirin)
A Man Named Hoffman
Three Sick Babies
All I Could Do Was Stand in the Woods
Two Blue Hands
Antipathies
Sandy

[Lauren Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting collection of medical case studies. Although some are pretty old (written in the 1950s), they were overall really interesting. I also enjoyed the different tone of the chapters compared to more contemporary books I've been reading.

[Aleta Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provided much of the content for House, MD , the first seasons. House, MD fans will recognize the anthrax from insulation case.

[David Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of medical mysteries from many decades ago. The cases themselves are captivating, but adding in the historical differences added extra interest.

[Javelin Hands · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have not finished this book and I am not sure I will. As of this review, I've read about 1/5 of the book.

Things I like:
- The writing is extra - very over the top, even grandiloquent at times. It can be a lot of fun, especially if you are reading out loud.
- It is interesting to see how medicine has progressed, and to peer into the mindset of doctors from 70+ years ago.

Things I dislike:
- I actually want more medicine, and more history. What happens in the body? How was it treated in the past? Consequently, this book is heavy of the details of where the doctors went (sometimes in excruciating detail), what items they tested, and so on.
- There is a total aversion to patients. Their role is merely to kick off an investigation and little else.
- The book is dated, and I find myself antsy for more modern thinking.

I have found this book to be moderately interesting. It's light on medical details and heavy on detail of the literal streets the doctors walk. Overall, it's just okay.

[Gayathri Jinesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can actually read past 2 pages of this book and not fall asleep! Infact pages together. I say so because it has Public Health (SPM) in it. As any medical student would agree, you cant read SPM textbooks without falling asleep in 10 minutes. The explanations are simple and people with no medical background can also understand. Those with a medical background will enjoy it more, because they can actually diagnose as the writer narrates. There are classical presentations, and the author does a great job in painting the pictures of textbook cases in our minds. It speaks from viewpoints of both the patient and the doctor. Some cases will leave us at utmost disbelief. Though a bit outdated, a must read, especially for medical students!

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Berton Roueché's writing is unparalleled in the realm of nonfiction medical narratives. Unlike so much of science writing involving outbreaks, his work brims with technical details integrated well enough to inform the reader and inspire curiosity. You finish every story feeling like you've learned something, which might not attract a general reader with little interest in epidemiology. At times, he overuses long quotes and dedicates a page or two to the ramblings of a subject, but it's clear from the sections that are purely Roueché that he was meticulous researcher and master story crafter. (Also, his uncanny access to CDC researchers and physicians? WOW.)

[Abby Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have read this book enough times that these are no longer mysteries to me, but they are still fascinating reading. notable in part because they highlight the major changes in medical practice (getting GI x-rays no longer requires a multi-day hospital admission) but more so because of what's the same - medicine and especially epidemiology is detailed and fascinating detective work.

[Tim Mcleod · Rating 4 out of 5]

5/5 for interesting epidemiologic storytelling, 2/5 for the consistent chauvinism. I don't give a damn about it being a "different time" when these stories were published; Roueche's snide denigration of women - be they doctors, nurses, administrators, etc. - made me disengage from the subject itself. If you are wrong about them, what else are you screwing up?

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner from James Mustich’s “1000 books to read before you die.” Totally engrossing. These medical cases are from the 1940s to the early 1980s, so medicine has changed somewhat since that time, but they are still fascinating. Come on, you know you want to read about the poisoned blue jeans!

[Cooperdub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. It will make you appreciate epidemiology as a field. Also it was very interesting to see how our understanding of certain diseases has evolved since some of these pieces were written. Overall it’s a good brain scratcher, and gives you a better understanding of our relationship to disease through our ever changing environment.

[Arnab Sengupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book regarding real medical mysteries. It is written in an interview format, which makes the stories more realistic. The cases presented in the book are really fascinating. Definitely try it if you are a bit into medicine or biology!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great writing, even if a bit dated. And in the COVID-19 moment, it’s especially eye opening to read about how far and fast medicine has come since the first essays were written in the early 1950s. It ain’t so bad folks. Penicillin was just discovered in the mid 1940s!

[Edith · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dream job is a forensic pathologist, so this book was perfect for me!
The mysteries were well-written, engaging, and informative. So realistic, in fact, that I started having dreams that I was exhibiting symptoms of the various illnesses/poisons that are described in this book.

[MomofTeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating and engrossing from page one to the end. Roueche is a gifted writer and storyteller. As a former health reporter, medical reader, and mystery lover, I loved the detective work by the brilliant epidemiologists. In another life, I would have joined their ranks.