Online since 1997 The Dressing Station: A Surgeon's Chronicle of War and MedicineClick on a title to get information such as reviews, price comparisons, and availability or to purchase. Search Again-Enter Keyword, Title, or ISBN: |
|
The Dressing Station: A Surgeon's Chronicle of War and Medicine
by: Jonathan Kaplan |
||
 |
|
or |
|
Binding: Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number: 617.092 EAN: 9780802117076 ISBN: 0802117074 Label: Grove Press Manufacturer: Grove Press Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 224 Publication Date: February 09, 2002 Publisher: Grove Press Studio: Grove Press |
||
| Customer Reviews | ||
 - Kaplin hits the mark. I'm something of a junkie for medical narrative but Kaplin has it down to an art form. Kaplin's extensive experience working as a physician in the worlds most underserved and dangerous, war torn areas combined with his gift as a storyteller make for an engaging read. The books flows nicely for the most part, but the author occasionally slips into dry, self-indulgent commentaries on world affairs. Rating:  - An amazingly broad and insightful personal account.This book was appealing to me on two levels; it gave me some insight on what life is like as a physician, and also allowed me to experience a wide variety of social microcosms. He is a man that does not know how to put down roots, and while that is his occasionally his curse, it is our blessing. He lives a life in political exile. He moves from country to country, giving us a glimpse of how each one approaches health care. As if that is not enough, he volunteers for combat surgery under extremely trying conditions. Don't worry, I only gave you a few chapters, there are many more "lives" he leads! In all of this, his witty, warm, and yet objective style of writing bring each account to life. I would love to meet this man, and through this book I felt that I did...in a manner of speaking. I strongly recommend this book, if you are looking for a true account that is positively affirming and yet highly educational. Rating: - interesting and worthwhile readingI found this book to be a real page-turner, and very thought provoking too. The chapters detail the authors travels, and medical practice around the globe. Most of the featured locales are very much off-the-beaten path, and relatively unstable. This makes the non-fiction book read somewhat like a good adventure novel, and I found it to be pretty exciting. There is a lot more to it than tales of adventure though. The author makes observations on politics and medicine that, while you may or may not agree with, will probably make you do a little bit of critical thinking. Any book that can do all that, is in my opinion worth reading. While I highly recommend this book for those with an interest in emergency medicine or international affairs, others with little interest in these fields may well appreciate this book just as much. Rating: - fascinating readKaplan has written a piece that isn't necessarily profound, but provided some new perspectives on international medicine for me. Indeed, as another reviewer remarked, he sees the world of modern medicine through socialist glasses. This should not, however, prevent anyone from picking up this book--I strongly disagree with him on many of his analyses of American health care, yet still enjoyed his intelligent, often humorous writing. As a future surgeon, I found his career and experiences fascinating, and once again proving that practicing medicine in Suburbia USA and making money are not the necessary components of a fulfilling career. Rating:  - Overall pretty goodAn interesting book about a remarkable doctor's travels. He comes across as quite honest, even a bit naive at times. He never gets into discussions of humanitarian philosophy (i.e. working as a surgeon for an insurgent force isn't exactly neutral). Indeed, it's unclear as to how much he knows about it in general. I think this actually makes for a better story as he is quite forthright. It is also interesting to follow his exploits with what are clearly some fly-by-night aid groups. Despite a somewhat awkward ending - in which he attempts to make philosophical connections between his work with over-stressed executives and his prior international work - overall it makes a fine read. |
||