Doctor Will See You Now

by Cory Franklin

Is it smart to skip your annual physical? Should you put your trust in medical research? Is “low T” an actual disease? This book examines these questions and more you’ve always wondered about in more than fifty essays on the practice of medicine.  The Doctor Will See You Now  is a quirky and eclectic collection of short pieces that explore the evolving patient-physician relationship; famous doctors and notorious patients; surprising hospital practices and the future of health care; medical reporting, research, ethics, drugs, and money; and the brave new world of neurology. Author Cory Franklin, MD, spent twenty-five years as the director of intensive care at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. Here he brings readers into his office to discuss the surprising ways the practice of medicine is changing today.
 

Genres: Medicine, Essays, Nonfiction, Doctors

278 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2018

Reviews

[Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary

“The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.” - William Osler

This book contains more than 50 essays touching the topics of the patient-physician relationship, medical ethics, medical reporting, the economics of Medicine, and the future of Medicine. The author, who is a Doctor at Cook county hospital, has written all the essays from his personal experiences.

What I learned from this book
1) What will happen if business people totally take over healthcare?
Healthcare should not be subjugated by business people who give more importance to money than empathy. The author discusses in detail the risks associated with such a situation.

"With rare exception, even the most arrogant or venal physician has had the patient's best interest at heart. Can the same be said of the new businessmen in charge of healthcare? With physicians becoming pawns in a much larger game who will look after the patients. We will never be completely sure. ”

2) How small gestures by Doctors change the life of patients?
Empathy has equal importance just as knowledge in Medicine. A small empathic gesture can work wonders in a patient's life. The author's succinct explanation will help us understand it vividly.

“Small gestures also can be important. Hospitalized patients appreciate the concern of the doctor who may not be active in their current care but who stops by anyway if only for a moment to say hello."

3) Why are some parents not vaccinating their children?
An increase in the number of anti-vaxxers in some parts of the world, especially after the pandemic, is an extremely vexing situation that we are facing. There are many reasons why some mothers do not prefer to vaccinate their children

"Mothers are thinking why take a chance and vaccinate my child for a disease he or she won't get or worse nothing more than a rash. History has also played a role. The infamous Tuskegee study (1932-1972) in Alabama, swine flu debacle of 1976 where officials drastically overestimated the chances of the swine flu pandemic and failed to anticipate a small but significant number of neurological side effects of vaccination and the Cutter incident when polio gripped the United States in the early 1950s where 200,000 received a batch of defective vaccines manufactured at the cutter laboratories in which live virus was present."

My favourite three lines from this book

"There is only a blurred line between Medicine and show business. There is plenty to be learned about your health from television, but it is not to be confused with reality. Find a trusted Physician or a healthcare provider and discuss everything you hear about Medicine on television. That is the best way to get a straight story on treatments that can save your life and allow you to avoid those that might harm you. It also keeps your doctors on their tows when you watch Medicine or Medical drama on-screen. Show business wants to portray real life, but it is willing to sacrifice real life for the sake of entertainment. ”

"Ghostwriters are substituting for Doctors by writing articles for important Medical Research for widely marketed drugs of pharmaceutical companies, which is causing a whole lot of ethical concerns which should be tackled immediately."

“What the introduction of CT scan demonstrated was that experience plus technology is superior to either one alone.”

What I didn’t like in this book
The book's focus wavered from Medicine's central theme to politics and politicians in one chapter, which should have been avoided.

Rating
3/5 The author's temerity to discuss controversial topics in a concise respectable manner without going for a furious tirade against the opponents' turpitude is estimable. Many important remarks by the author on Medical ethics will be helpful for future Doctors. If you loved the author's previous book Cook County ICU: 30 Years of Unforgettable Patients and Odd Cases, you would definitely love this book.



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[September Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

You May Not Wanna Read this Book-- But Ya Oughta-- and You Won't Be Disappointed.

When physician-author Cory Franklin’s 'The Doctor Will See You' arrived in the mail — I started reading it immediately. I cancelled my Dance Class. When I had to go out, I bought the audiobook so I could keep listening. I knew the geography of his stories, Chicago, Boston, the history of all medicine… but the craft of the presentation—Oh baby the craft!

Anyone who has read Cory Franklin’s Cook County ICU, or listened to his regular pod cast Remembering the Passed (https://www.youtube.com/user/Remember... ) knows one thing for sure — this is one of the smartest men ever born. You know the type. He could probably tell you who won the World Series on the second leap year, after the first airstrike by US troops in Vietnam — he’s that kind smart. It also happens he is an iconic physician and ethicist whose humanity is as great as his intelligence — and yeah you can figure that all out by his writing. The second thing to know about this book is: you are an idiot if you try to guess at his politics or what he will think or say on the next page — just go along for the ride. He simply has seen too much, knows too much and cares too much, to not to have anything but an original analysis.

'The Doctor Will See You Now'— though very different in tone from Victoria Sweet’s astounding exploration in Slow Medicine — it covers the same territory and more. The book reads like a film you meant to see. From the analysis of spectacular violence in the media and its immolation in life — or vice versa — to uproarious humor — you almost forget the book is a memoir, not ficiton. If you care about the history, present or future medicine, humanity or life on the planet, this is an essential read for you. But don’t be confused though you will find yourself rolling on the floor in laughter, there will be head shaking and tears.

[BOOKLOVER EB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Cory Franklin's articles have appeared in such publications as the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, and the Chicago Sun-Times. "The Doctor Will See You Now" is a collection of sixty-eight essays that touch on a wide variety of topics, including the pros and cons of electronic medical record-keeping; the intrusion of the corporate world on physician-patient interactions; the ways in which lessons from the battlefield have revolutionized trauma care; and how to make your doctor visits more productive.

The author's tone ranges from playful and amusing to deadly serious and admonitory. He offers insights from bygone days, pays tribute to physicians who made unique contributions to their profession, and expresses opinions on such controversial topics as assisted suicide, vaccinations, and climate change. Franklin is an accomplished writer who, in each essay, introduces a theme, provides supporting details, and summarizes his points, all in clear and concise prose. He also entertains us. For example, there is a darkly humorous piece (fictional, thank goodness) about a harrowing visit to a sadistic robot-dentist.

"The Doctor Will See You Now" is repetitious at times. Although some of the chapters have little new to say and could have been omitted, Franklin offers much food for thought. His excellent pieces on ethics, compassion, and matters of public health—in which he discusses epidemics, head-trauma in football, confusing information disseminated by the media, and the hacking of medical records, for example—are timely and significant. Dr. Cory Franklin's insightful and provocative ideas make this a worthwhile work of non-fiction for anyone interested in the brave new world of medicine.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found most of the essays in this book to be very interesting. My wife is a physician and we have talked about several of the topics in the book over the years...and this book has given me more conversation pieces for the future. The one negative, and the reason I read this book so slowly was the political aspect. I think Dr. Franklin was making an effort to remain neutral when discussing politics, but it was very clear to me that he is more right leaning. That is just fine with me, but I felt a level of condisention when Democrats or Obama were mentioned....and Obama was mention a lot. In chapter 66 he describes each sector of our political spectrum and their beliefs in regards to healthcare reform. Satirical discriptions maybe...but very inaccurate in my opinion. I would have found it easier to read some of the essays if I hadn't felt like my beliefs were being criticized at times. I am open to reading things that challenge what is normal to me...that questions my belief system, even though it is often hard to digest. I did struggle with this book occasionally, but overall I think Dr. Franklin had some interesting and valuable opinions of modern day medicine, and his collection of essays is worth reading. I won a ARC of this book.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this through the Goodread's Giveaways program.

This easy to read book of medical essays on the changes in medicine was somewhat entertaining and interesting. I had hoped it would highlight more predictions of what the future would have in store where it really talked about where we are from the author's perspective.

[Janet · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a collection of a large number of brief essays that I'm guessing were published in newspapers or magazines. I'm not sure who the intended audience was, but it sure wasn't me. I didn't get much new information from them, and I certainly wasn't entertained or enlightened.

[MariaJose Valera-Brush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short essays as title says; some fun and interesting, others dull and repetitive. A good book to kill time.