When a Doctor Hates a Patient: And Other Chapters in a Young Physician's Life

by Richard E. Peschel, Enid R. Peschel

A doctor describes ten medical cases and examines literary depictions of similar situations and problems that physicians must face

Genres: Medical

189 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1986

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book at a used book library sale, mainly for the taboo title. I do enjoy reading older medical stories.

This book had a pretty neat premise - each chapter will start with an account of Richard Peschel's experiences in residency. The rest of the chapter is a literary discussion written by Enid Peschel making comparisons to similar stories and themes in classic literature. It has been a long time since I have read anything approaching literary analysis and I really enjoyed this medical approach to literary analysis.

I didn't agree with everything the author's said + I think chapter 10 on survivors was a bit of a stretch. It definitely can be traumatic to witness death in the hospital but dang, not on the level of the Holocaust & prisoner of war literature that they chose to compare it to. Chapter 10 honestly offended me. If it had been Chapter 1 I would not have finished the book, but as it was it was the last chapter.

[Gijs Limonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freely available on the internet archive; This was ok, not great; a sampling of short writings pertaining to the humanistic side of medicine, supplemented with reflections from the authors, highlighting the deeply human nature of the healing enterprise; recommended reading.