In his hilarious book Getting into Practice, Edward Vernon (whose early years as a GP are described in Practice Makes Perfect and Practise What You Preach) describes his years at medical school. Still wet behind the ears, he found himself on a whirlwind tour through the seven ages of man and the 57 varieties of human nature. He has to learn how to examine real people, diagnose them without becoming emotionally involved and fend off the crises of confidence which await around every corner. The book is set in the 1970s and there will no doubt be some readers who might think that things were better then. Edward Vernon is a pen name of a well known British doctor/author.Here's what the critics said about the and wittily written. His descriptions of daunting receptionists, magazine-strewn waiting rooms and hypochondriacal patients will strike many familiar cords, but Dr Vernon is at his best when recounting his encounters in the surgery and at the bedside. For anyone needing to be entertained, and at times moved, there could be no better prescription than one chapter...taken each night at bedtime - Liverpool EchoTruthful, well observed and consistently readable - Daily TelegraphThe funniest of the funny doctor books - Richard GordonDr Vernon is onto a good thing; we could do with some more - Oxford TimesHilarious - TitbitsThoroughly delightful - Fresno BeeDelightfully funny - Sunday Advocate, Baton RougeFor entertainment, a chapter or two before bedtime is just what the doctor ordered - Sacromento BeeDoes for British GPs what Herriot has done for vets - BooklistHilarious - Grimsby Evening TelegraphVery funny - Citizen, GloucesterGenuinely funny - South Wales EchoWise, funny, sad and heartwarming - Chattanooga TimesGood fun - Homes and GardensJolly good reading - Publishers WeeklyViews the human species he treats with much the same affection, compassion and humour as Herriot brings to the animal world - Cleveland Plain DealerSometimes serious, sometimes hilarious - Lancashire Evening PostWill amuse, amaze and entertain - Yorkshire Postetc etc
This book is an absolute delight, which is even better as I did not have high expectations. It is the old story of the medical student completing his training, which has been told many times before. But this version is light, at times highly amusing and moves at a fast pace that makes it hard to put aside. I read it at virtually one sitting. Although it reads like fact, the author says it is totally fiction. I have looked up the biog of the author and find that his real name is Vernon Coleman and he has written 100 books, including medical textbooks, but only the first three were under the Edward Vernon nom de plume, so I am clearly not the first reader to find that he can write very, very well.
I'm a big fan of this author / doctor in all of his guises this series of books are a interesting insight into a young doctors journey into his future endeavours . With the highs and lows of the medical profession I don't think I'll look at my own gp in the same way again.
Doesn't matter what name Vernon Coleman writes under, his stories and narrative are recognizable as his!! Excellent as usual. Kind of James Herriot like, only with people instead of animals.
I have found this book to be good reading to lift away the days problems. Therefore it relaxed me with humour before going to sleep when I went to bed. Just what the doctor ordered.
This was a good read and quite funny. The encounter with his ex-physics teacher will remain with me for ever. Hilarious and cringeworthy at the same time.