Contemporary Physician-Authors

This book examines the phenomenon of physician-authors. Focusing on the books that contemporary doctors write--the stories that they tell--with contributors critically engaging their work. A selection of original chapters from leading scholars in medical and health humanities analyze the literary output of doctors, including Oliver Sacks, Danielle Ofri, Atul Gawande, Louise Aronson, Siddhartha Mukherjee, and Abraham Verghese. Discussing issues of moral meaning in the works of contemporary doctor-writers, from memoir to poetry, this collection reflects some of the diversity of medicine today. A key reference for all students and scholars of medical and health humanities, the book will be especially useful for those interested in the relationship between literature and practising medicine.

Nathan Carlin is Professor in the McGovern Center for Humanities and Ethics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, USA, where he holds the Samuel Karff Chair.

Introduction. Part One: Two Traditional Representatives. 1.Richard Selzer: Three Troubling Tales of Physicians' Peculiar Behavior 2.Oliver Sacks: A Kind of Reminiscence. Part Two: Three Contemporary Favorites. 3.Perri Klass: Books Are Like Stethoscopes. 4.Abraham Verghese: The Power of Storytelling. 5.Atul Gawande: Doctoring, Dying, and the Pursuit of "Better". Part Three: Medicine, Meaning, and Identity. 6.Danielle Ofri: Offering Lessons for All. 7.Paul Kalanithi: Sometimes, They Break-Craft as a Window. 8.Joanna Cannon: Leaving Medicine to Pursue a Physician's Calling. 9.Damon Tweedy: Stories on Being Black, Sick, and Marginalized. 10.Fady Joudah: An Exploration of Borders and Boundaries. 11.Louise Aronson: Using Facts and Stories to Improve Medical Care for Older Adults. 12.Marc Agronin: Into the Heart of Growing Old. Part Four: Alternative Models. 13.David Watts and Frank Huyler: A Tale of Two Patients, 14.Siddhartha Mukherjee: Tending and Extending-The Long and Short of Siddhartha Mukherjee. 15.Arthur Kleinman: Professional Caregiving Narratives Become Personal