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The Soul of Medicine: Tales from the Bedside
Like all doctors, Sherwin Nuland collects stories, and over thirty years in the practice of surgery, he has collected a consider number of both his own stories as well as the stories of surgeons he has worked with and admires. The remarkable stories told in this book are filled with the lessons of humanity. They describe that sacrosanct connection between two people we call the doctor-patient relationship, and that othe relationship between the mentor and student, so important to the perpetuation of medical knowledge, judgement, wisdom and character. Doctors have peculiar ways of approaching certain kinds of problems, and many of those ways are captured with with grace and elequence in The Soul of Medicine .
232 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2009
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1176 people want to read
About the author
Sherwin B. Nuland
52 books203 followersSherwin Nuland was an American surgeon and author who taught bioethics and medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine. He was the author of The New York Times bestseller and National Book Award winning How We Die, and has also written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New Republic, Time, and the New York Review of Books.
His NYTimes obit: http://nyti.ms/1kxNtQC
His NYTimes obit: http://nyti.ms/1kxNtQC
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 26, 2009
This is the third book I've read by Nuland, a great writer, educator, and medical historian. I've even had the privilege of hearing him speak at my own medical school graduation some years ago. Yet, in reading his anecdotes and thoughts about those of his colleagues, one cannot help but wonder if there is more to medical practice than simply recalling a few odd stories. I'd say that the true "soul" of medicine is not found in the extraordinary but rather the mundane, day-to-day life of the practitioner who truly is making a difference in the lives of patients, whether he knows it or not. The stories collected here, although entertaining, come across as exceptions to the rules, and therein lies the "Soul" of my review.
October 24, 2011
This book is told in such a way as to relate to the reader. what being a doctor should be.
Having been born with a physical disability in my case Spina Bifida, over the years I've aquired first hand knowledge of doctors and specialists, their methods and manner. The ones I was drawn too, were interested in me as a person, not foremost as a patient, they were people who listened and shared your worries, fears.
What I liked most about Sherwin's book was that showed the views and experiences of a broad range of doctors and the humanity they brought to their caring.
Having been born with a physical disability in my case Spina Bifida, over the years I've aquired first hand knowledge of doctors and specialists, their methods and manner. The ones I was drawn too, were interested in me as a person, not foremost as a patient, they were people who listened and shared your worries, fears.
What I liked most about Sherwin's book was that showed the views and experiences of a broad range of doctors and the humanity they brought to their caring.
June 17, 2009
Great stories about doctors from a variety of fields and their most memorable patients. I enjoyed the relatively short stories and the brief commentaries that followed many. The book provides a unique window into the doctor side of the doctor-patient relationship.
I agree with my brother's review--these are exceptional stories, much like the moments on the COPS show that don't end up on the cutting room floor. This book includes the most extreme stories, not the boring day-to-day stuff (just as COPS never airs the eight-hour stakeouts, for example). These samples are not too misleading however, as so many open with, "Well, the Narrator asked me to share the story of my most memorable patient...." With a set-up like that, you're bound to get the unusual.
To its credit, these stories make great reading. Some of them are just outrageous--the sort of thing you can't wait to repeat to someone while their jaw drops to the floor.
One thing that was odd was Nuland's efforts to conceal locations and identities. As the "Narrator," he speaks repeatedly of a teaching hospital he calls "Canterbury." Because Nuland is employed by Yale, I can't help but assume Canterbury is Yale. Yet, this is a non-fiction book, and Nuland commends the work of his peers by what looks like their REAL names). Or maybe not. But I found this confusing. If it were up to me, all identifying facts about patients would be changed, and the names of doctors and hospitals would be printed correctly. (Except, perhaps, the name of the malpracticing doctor and the hospital that employed him.)
Somehow I read a pre-released editor's version, with a few chapters out of order which was odd, and surely corrected in the final edition.
I agree with my brother's review--these are exceptional stories, much like the moments on the COPS show that don't end up on the cutting room floor. This book includes the most extreme stories, not the boring day-to-day stuff (just as COPS never airs the eight-hour stakeouts, for example). These samples are not too misleading however, as so many open with, "Well, the Narrator asked me to share the story of my most memorable patient...." With a set-up like that, you're bound to get the unusual.
To its credit, these stories make great reading. Some of them are just outrageous--the sort of thing you can't wait to repeat to someone while their jaw drops to the floor.
One thing that was odd was Nuland's efforts to conceal locations and identities. As the "Narrator," he speaks repeatedly of a teaching hospital he calls "Canterbury." Because Nuland is employed by Yale, I can't help but assume Canterbury is Yale. Yet, this is a non-fiction book, and Nuland commends the work of his peers by what looks like their REAL names). Or maybe not. But I found this confusing. If it were up to me, all identifying facts about patients would be changed, and the names of doctors and hospitals would be printed correctly. (Except, perhaps, the name of the malpracticing doctor and the hospital that employed him.)
Somehow I read a pre-released editor's version, with a few chapters out of order which was odd, and surely corrected in the final edition.
March 12, 2020
These tales are written mostly by old, sexist men. One particular line that triggered me is as follows: ‘Like Kate, she became a - well, a wife and a mother.’ Their husband’s jobs are outlined. I would argue that the job of Kate and this other woman would be caring for children and the home. Yet, described in this way, the author implies that caring for children and the home is, in fact, the job of a wife and mother.
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December 30, 2020I picked this book up to learn more about what medicine looks like from the doctor's perspective. While the book was insightful, I came away with a perspective that is rather old and largely male. I would recommend it with a grain of salt, as it does cover a huge breadth of specialities but may not be as current as one would prefer.
August 26, 2017
again, another of my favorite authors, this time sharing stories from his and other medical careers - enjoyable read.
In this collection of 21 “tales” collected from medical specialists of all fields, we hear their answers to the question author Nuland asked of them: “what was your most memorable patient?” He himself describes the book’s contents as “a sort of Canterbury Tales of medicine” – thus each chapter is titled a “tale” - and that is what we find and enjoy in this latest of Nuland books, written as they were from doctors at a “Cantebury Hospital,” certainly part of the fictional way to preserve confidentiality. The stories are both his own personal experiences and second hand stories of fellow physicians of all types with enough changes in the details to protect both original story teller and the patients. But it should be emphasized that all the stories are factual in enough detail to convey the message but not reveal the participants. For most, Dr. Nuland follows each “tale” chapter with his own thoughtful commentary on the lessons or medical issues underlying that story, which lifts them to a higher dimension of enlightened understanding in our reading. In some cases we get some inside look at an even deeper human story when Nuland adds his own observations when he knows the story teller personally or may even have participated in the event himself. In the telling, I found myself confused as to what part was a retelling of another’s story, or what was Nuland telling of his own personal part in the story, but no matter, in either case it was a fascinating tale.
As technical as his medical detail can be, the reader feels a very human person at the other end of the pen in these stories, adding a refreshing and self-deprecating element to the elegant style we have come to expect from this author in his many other writings. It is amazing to realize that even now into his late 70’s, Nuland has such recollection of detail as we see again in the (re-)telling of these tales. The experiences are mostly from three or more decades past. Each chapter covers from two to 10 pages in this smaller book format that makes for easy reading. Unlike so many books that capture us as a story links from one chapter to the next, each leaving questions to be addressed in that next chapter, these tales are self-contained. Never the less, I found myself quickly getting into each following chapter just because of the interesting variety of stories.
The stories are not all the triumphs you might expect, but rather are interwoven with tragedies, even some caused at the hands of the medical professionals themselves, so expect both human horror and tearful joy as you read this honest book. The tales are not without some touch of humor, even when buried within some medical mystery. When it is necessary to fully understand a story, the authors (or as I expect, maybe Nuland’s edit), provides a much appreciated, clear layman’s lesson in the anatomy needed, something he is gifted in being able to convey for his readers. Often in reading of procedures that have been replaced with more modern ones in today’s practice, the reader comes away appreciating even more that progress made over the years in such practices, and in some cases, the loss of judgment given over to the technology advances of today .
In this day and age of high tech medical technology and highly skilled specialists, what strikes me most in this reading is the wonderfully human element displayed in so many of the stories as they care for, suffer with, and celebrate successes along with the patients entrusted to their care, using their personal skills and judgment when today’s advanced technology wasn’t in their physician’s bag. I found this to be a very enjoyable, and sometimes hilarious read and would recommend it to both medical professional and patient alike as recreational reading.
see this and more than a hundred other organ donation/transplant related books - many with my personal reviews - at http://www.trioweb.org/resources/book...
In this collection of 21 “tales” collected from medical specialists of all fields, we hear their answers to the question author Nuland asked of them: “what was your most memorable patient?” He himself describes the book’s contents as “a sort of Canterbury Tales of medicine” – thus each chapter is titled a “tale” - and that is what we find and enjoy in this latest of Nuland books, written as they were from doctors at a “Cantebury Hospital,” certainly part of the fictional way to preserve confidentiality. The stories are both his own personal experiences and second hand stories of fellow physicians of all types with enough changes in the details to protect both original story teller and the patients. But it should be emphasized that all the stories are factual in enough detail to convey the message but not reveal the participants. For most, Dr. Nuland follows each “tale” chapter with his own thoughtful commentary on the lessons or medical issues underlying that story, which lifts them to a higher dimension of enlightened understanding in our reading. In some cases we get some inside look at an even deeper human story when Nuland adds his own observations when he knows the story teller personally or may even have participated in the event himself. In the telling, I found myself confused as to what part was a retelling of another’s story, or what was Nuland telling of his own personal part in the story, but no matter, in either case it was a fascinating tale.
As technical as his medical detail can be, the reader feels a very human person at the other end of the pen in these stories, adding a refreshing and self-deprecating element to the elegant style we have come to expect from this author in his many other writings. It is amazing to realize that even now into his late 70’s, Nuland has such recollection of detail as we see again in the (re-)telling of these tales. The experiences are mostly from three or more decades past. Each chapter covers from two to 10 pages in this smaller book format that makes for easy reading. Unlike so many books that capture us as a story links from one chapter to the next, each leaving questions to be addressed in that next chapter, these tales are self-contained. Never the less, I found myself quickly getting into each following chapter just because of the interesting variety of stories.
The stories are not all the triumphs you might expect, but rather are interwoven with tragedies, even some caused at the hands of the medical professionals themselves, so expect both human horror and tearful joy as you read this honest book. The tales are not without some touch of humor, even when buried within some medical mystery. When it is necessary to fully understand a story, the authors (or as I expect, maybe Nuland’s edit), provides a much appreciated, clear layman’s lesson in the anatomy needed, something he is gifted in being able to convey for his readers. Often in reading of procedures that have been replaced with more modern ones in today’s practice, the reader comes away appreciating even more that progress made over the years in such practices, and in some cases, the loss of judgment given over to the technology advances of today .
In this day and age of high tech medical technology and highly skilled specialists, what strikes me most in this reading is the wonderfully human element displayed in so many of the stories as they care for, suffer with, and celebrate successes along with the patients entrusted to their care, using their personal skills and judgment when today’s advanced technology wasn’t in their physician’s bag. I found this to be a very enjoyable, and sometimes hilarious read and would recommend it to both medical professional and patient alike as recreational reading.
see this and more than a hundred other organ donation/transplant related books - many with my personal reviews - at http://www.trioweb.org/resources/book...
October 15, 2017
Ugh, boring. Why do people recommend this book? The stories themselves could have been interesting, but the writing drags terribly, especially after reading the snappy writing in Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs: The Making of a Surgeon. It really bothered me that the book has about 20 different "narrators", one for each chapter, and they all speak with precisely the same voice. And the whole "Canterbury" business got really old really quick. I don't think I ever cared for the original Canterbury Tales either.
For instance, the author describes how everybody in the room cried when Lou the diabetic described how terrible it was to live his life ... but the readers are not offered a single bit of information about what specifically made Lou's life terrible, or a single direct quote from his "Shakespeare's soliloquy". What a lost opportunity!
Of course the stories I'm going to remember are about the "Wild Man of Borneo" surgeon who removed a gall bladder and started slashing at the stomach and aorta before being tackled by other surgeons in the room, and the "scoundrel" who had trysts with nurses in a hospital wing that was under construction, then accused the head nurse who found him there of tippling and got her fired.
For instance, the author describes how everybody in the room cried when Lou the diabetic described how terrible it was to live his life ... but the readers are not offered a single bit of information about what specifically made Lou's life terrible, or a single direct quote from his "Shakespeare's soliloquy". What a lost opportunity!
Of course the stories I'm going to remember are about the "Wild Man of Borneo" surgeon who removed a gall bladder and started slashing at the stomach and aorta before being tackled by other surgeons in the room, and the "scoundrel" who had trysts with nurses in a hospital wing that was under construction, then accused the head nurse who found him there of tippling and got her fired.
January 3, 2021
The tales are quite interesting and somehow unusual in my point of view. As the most memorable patient of doctor in different specialty, the patients mentioned in the book perhaps not the most common or relatable. However, it did show that doctors as someone different than what we usually thought about. They are also human beings and have emotions. They are not perfect and might make mistakes. It just the stakes of their mistake is significant higher.
September 2, 2020
Good collection of anecdotes by doctors in different fields. Slightly dry and hard to follow what with the plethora of different names for each chapter, as the chapters did not always build on each other. Overall - informative, educational, and enlightening about the different fields of medicine and surgery.
October 25, 2019
A must read for those interested in the medical field or for anyone who enjoys stories. Nuland provides a variety of personal and human perspectives of the relationship between doctors and their patients.
December 25, 2024
Another great med book, but too slow for me.
July 13, 2025
Interesting read. Tales from doctors of different specialities. Through the intriguing stories of real patients I also learned a lot about the history of medicine and how it’s evolved.
March 14, 2017
Excellent collections of short stories of doctor-patience stories. As Dr. Nuland pointed out each doctor is, knowingly or not a philosopher; and each patient is the teacher of the doctor, though neither may realize at the time. As Hippocrates told his colleagues almost two and a half millennia ago, judgment will always be the most difficult aspect of the art of medicine, because the ultimate mainstay of diagnosis is not data, info, or even knowledge... instead it is the proper judgment that can lead the patients to healing, instead of death...
October 22, 2009
I'm not quite finished, but so far...eh. The best moments of this book are completely overlooked by the narrator. Moments of patient-doctor interaction that have potential to really shine as a great example of human connection, but end up coming off as "And here's how I saved THAT person's life". The tone of a lot of the Tales seems to be, well, self-congratulatory, especially the one where two stories are told, and it reads like this: "I did the wrong thing this one time and it cost someone their life, but the next time I did it I saved someone. So even when I'm wrong I'm right." It didn't need to come off that way, and maybe it wasn't supposed to. But the general sense of condescension towards alternative medicine rubbed me the wrong way, especially when you consider the glorification of the physical exam and the pitfalls of relying too much on technology vs. hands on care that appears in the Geriatrician's Tale. Hands on, thorough physical exams (including examining the tongue) are hallmarks of many "alternative" modalities, such as acupuncture and midwifery. So while the author seems to feel like he's making some major insight or discovery, it's something that has actually been trampled on and phased out by his own brilliant field.
I read and reviewed the book Nuland wrote about childbed fever and Ignac Semelweiss, and I believe I found basically the same pattern. Nuland tells a very compelling story, and you're pulled into the drama...and then at the end draws a completely different conclusion than seems logical, at least to me.
Last of all there is a SUPER bizarre paragraph in the Anesthesiologist's Tale that I have related to several people and still can't wrap my head around.
I love reading medical narratives, I'm heading to nursing school myself, and I know lots of wonderful, compassionate doctors. If I believed that the tales in this book truly reflect "The Soul of Medicine", I'm sure my esteem of doctors in general would be a fair bit lower. In the end, I did enjoy the stories in this book, but to me they are stories of amazing PATIENTS and not so much amazing doctors.
I read and reviewed the book Nuland wrote about childbed fever and Ignac Semelweiss, and I believe I found basically the same pattern. Nuland tells a very compelling story, and you're pulled into the drama...and then at the end draws a completely different conclusion than seems logical, at least to me.
Last of all there is a SUPER bizarre paragraph in the Anesthesiologist's Tale that I have related to several people and still can't wrap my head around.
I love reading medical narratives, I'm heading to nursing school myself, and I know lots of wonderful, compassionate doctors. If I believed that the tales in this book truly reflect "The Soul of Medicine", I'm sure my esteem of doctors in general would be a fair bit lower. In the end, I did enjoy the stories in this book, but to me they are stories of amazing PATIENTS and not so much amazing doctors.
March 25, 2024
3.7 ★ A collection of medical stories modeled on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. I don’t know if they exactly capture “the soul” of medicine, whatever that means — more that they demonstrate that those practicing it are human, with both extraordinary knowledge and strengths, as well as foibles and idiosyncrasies.
Several thought-provoking and touching tales stayed with me, notably those of the anesthesiologist, cardiologist, and internist. The chest surgeon’s tales also stand out, for exactly the opposite reasons. This is a book with more than a little humor, sadness, and heart — just don’t go into it expecting grand universal truths about the physician-patient relationship.
Several thought-provoking and touching tales stayed with me, notably those of the anesthesiologist, cardiologist, and internist. The chest surgeon’s tales also stand out, for exactly the opposite reasons. This is a book with more than a little humor, sadness, and heart — just don’t go into it expecting grand universal truths about the physician-patient relationship.
September 8, 2009
I am usually fond of works by physician-writers, as I aspire to be one myself. This is a charming set of stories about the doctor-patient interaction. Yet since Sherwin Nuland aimed for this collection of bedside tales to be a "sort of Cantebury Tales of medicine," unfortunately I would have to say it fell short of his goal.
Dr. Nuland might have asked his friends and colleagues for the story about their most memorable paient. Each chapter is called the 's Tale; some are followed by his Narrator's Commentary. It was a bit confusing as to whose voice was actually speaking since both are written first-person, but the Tale itself was written down and fictionalized by Dr. Nuland (to protect identities.) They take place in "Cantebury" -- a thinly-veiled Yale where Dr. Nuland practiced surgery. Most of the stories revolve around surgery, depsite the "author's" speciality. Usually such stories are most profound when they focus on the patient-doctor interaction and the medical case, but many had substantial prefaces which delayed the story. Nonetheless, I would recommend The Soul of Medicine to those interested in medical stories.
Dr. Nuland might have asked his friends and colleagues for the story about their most memorable paient. Each chapter is called the 's Tale; some are followed by his Narrator's Commentary. It was a bit confusing as to whose voice was actually speaking since both are written first-person, but the Tale itself was written down and fictionalized by Dr. Nuland (to protect identities.) They take place in "Cantebury" -- a thinly-veiled Yale where Dr. Nuland practiced surgery. Most of the stories revolve around surgery, depsite the "author's" speciality. Usually such stories are most profound when they focus on the patient-doctor interaction and the medical case, but many had substantial prefaces which delayed the story. Nonetheless, I would recommend The Soul of Medicine to those interested in medical stories.
September 5, 2022
Another medically based book in my list that comes very recommended is Nuland’s “The soul of medicine” Similar to the works of Dr. Green it is a collection of short stories this time from multiple physicians in a multitude of specialties. This provides a wide look into medicine from doctors who all work in different parts of the anatomy and different ailments. Stories range from heartwarming and comedic to gut-wrenching and cruel. An eye-opening look into many different facets of being a physician. Highly recommend it to anyone with an eye after medicine.
February 8, 2012
Eh. I enjoyed the structure of the book, and I found about 50% of the "Tales" compelling. The other 50% of "Tales" were a poorly written combination of rambling and gloatig. Frankly, if I wanted to hear stories about how swell surgeons are (because nurses and other allied health professionals have little to do with the patient's quality of life, per Dr. Nuland's Tales) well, I can probably just ask one to tell me about it.
August 27, 2015
I was very confused reading this book--somewhere I missed the part that Nuland isn't the author of all the chapters, though he occasionally adds commentary. Instead, each one is written from the point of view of a different doctor, telling a story about their career in medicine. Some of those stories were fascinating, some very sad, some self-serving, and one is very disturbing about a doctor who was a complete scam artist.
Good concept, flawed final product.
Good concept, flawed final product.
June 5, 2010
A compendium of stories from different specialists (nephrologists, cardioloists, neurologist, etc.) on memorable patients or cases. Most intriguing, some a little grizzly, but all deeply felt and human. Made me realize the great compassion and humanity, fallibility even, felt by most physicians. Light reading, enjoyed it, but not pithy or weighty.
November 17, 2010
again sherwin nuland has written an engaging and at times funny book- the identies of these men and women of medicine are disguised but the cases are real. nuland lets us know how human doctors are -the mistakes they make--the close relationship with some of their patients and observations on what really matters in medicine.
April 19, 2011
I enjoy medical stories, especially ones that are woven between patients and doctors where you can examine more than just the disease, but also the relationship between the healer and the victim (not always knowing which one fulfils which role). Although I have enjoyed Nuland's previous work, I found this to be a bit slow at times.
January 18, 2014
Using The Canterbury Tales as a template, Dr. Nuland uses tale-tellers from 18 medical specialties to explore his title. Each is interesting and enjoyable even when it brings a tear to your eye. Someone who is both interested in the practice of medicine and pleasured by great writing would certainly appreciate any of Nuland's 13 books. I intend to read them all.
April 27, 2009
Disappointing. He should stick to doctoring rather than writing. The chapters have titles such as , "The Family Physicians Tale", "The Dermatologist Tale". Which is quite misleading because all of the "tales"are actually about surgery.
January 2, 2010
Quick read. Good stories. Not the kind of book that moves you. The title is misleading. I am no worse for reading it, not really much better. There are several moving stories but overall it's just about physicians recounting bizarre stories.
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November 18, 2010As a nurse, I found all his stories greatly entertaining. They were true to life but couldn't be written today for fear of violating patient privacy. I envy his ability to write such true stories. A book for anyone who enjoys medicine and hospital stories.
May 31, 2009
It's not that I dislike this book -- It just tries too hard to be something it's not.
October 5, 2010
A nice collection of physicians' stories - the humanity of medical practice shows through. Very readable.
February 15, 2012
It was ok and I liked it. The cases presented were interesting, with thoughtful reflections/commentaries by the author.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews