The Man Who Grew Two Breasts: And Other True Tales of Medical Detection

by Berton Roueché

For 50 years, Berton Roueche's absorbing accounts of the unraveling of medical mysteries were a much anticipated feature of The New Yorker. At his death last spring, Roueche left behind seven new narratives that have never been published in book form. This book collects these works along with one earlier classic--all relating true tales of strange illnesses, rare diseases, and the brilliant minds who race to understand and conquer them.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medicine, Medical, Science, Health, Essays

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

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

[Jacky Torrisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about medical mysteries, written in the style of investigative journalism. It is a bit dated (published in 1995) but I did still learn some valuable information about a few lesser-known illnesses, and the treatments for these illnesses.

The language in this book is not simplified, so people with limited medical knowledge (like me) may be intimidated at first. However, most of the terms are defined and used frequently enough to familiarize yourself with them. I like the way each chapter was structured. First you got a description of the affliction the individual faced, then the tests that were performed and what illnesses were ruled out, and then when the illness was finally determined, a thorough explanation of the illness, causes and treatment.

Some of the illnesses were no mystery to me, perhaps because they are more recognized today than when the book was written.

The author had conversations with many of the patients or doctors. At times, the dialogue could be redundant when a doctor or patient was describing their experiences. Some of those sections could have been shortened to make room for more medical information. However, the dialogue did give background information on the patients and helped to make these stories seem more human.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book a lot. It kind of reminds me of "House" and the cases were all really interesting!

[Brandy Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think of it as several "House" episodes in book form. I love medical mysteries, so this was a good one for me :)

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beron Roueche is always so pleasurable to read. Although the book is somewhat dated it is still a wonderful adventure of true stories of medical detection.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outdated, but reads a bit like a fun mystery short story collection

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a collection of unusual medical cases seen by the author in his medical practice and other physicians he consulted. I'm not certain of the publication date of the book, but it seemed like most of the cases were from the 1960s, so there was a bit of a dated feel to the book. That said, the author focused almost entirely on the case at hand, with limited philosophy and tangential stories, unlike the books I've read by Oliver Sacks. In some of the cases, such as the lady with the red face who improves at the hospital and the little boy suffering from seizures of unknown origin, I knew exactly what was wrong with them, not because I have extensive medical training, because I don't, but because both diagnoses are perhaps more common these days and I've read about others real and fictional, who received the same diagnoses. Others, like the title case, were medical mysteries whose roots I was less familiar with.
I read this book at the gym, and the chapters were of a good length to keep me engaged in both the reading and the workout, but not so long that I found my mind and body tiring. I would read other books by this author on a similar subject because I did learn from it. As I got the feeling that he was an older doctor near the end of his career, his other books might be too dated if they were based on contemporary subjects at the time he wrote them.

[Ellie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a collection of this guy’s writings about medical cases. They were mainly written in the 70s and 80s, it seems, and his old-fashioned chauvinism shines through. There also seem to be quite a few factual errors. I definitely wouldn’t call it a good book; the cases aren’t even all that interesting and he doesn’t say anything to make them more so.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medical detective stories. A reminder that medicine is often art, not science. Sometimes proper diagnosis comes from the fact that the doctor has just read something in a magazine, or newspaper;er or novel and it is purely fortuitous that he/she made a connection in the right place at the right time.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read of some short medical mysteries and how they were solved/concluded. It's a good reminder not to put too much trust in doctors, as they can make mistakes just as easily as anyone else when it comes to diagnosis or treatment.

[Lizzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The late medical writer for the New Yorker. These stories aren’t among his best, and I’d even read this before and should have known not to bother.

[Janet S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pieces were originally in the New Yorker. About 20 years ago. So medicine discussed seems quite dated.

[Mary Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A somewhat slimmer volume but no less enjoyable or interesting. If you like Medical Detectives you have to read this. If you haven't read either - why not?

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely dated, but still fascinating.

[Wendi Lau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting medical cases told like mini mysteries, like the tv show "House" except with a rotating medical staff.

I found that only the epidemiological ones really caught my attention.