Synopses & Reviews
If you’ve ever sat on an examination table and wondered what is really going on in your doctor’s head, then this book is for you. New York Times contributor and beloved author Perri Klass addresses the primary issues in the life of any doctor and, by extension, the lives of those for whom they care. She explores the moral judgments of doctors, questions of death and physician-assisted suicide, the daily life of a doctor, doctors as patients, and more. Klass offers a fascinating glimpse inside the doctor’s office for aspiring physicians and medical buffs. Treatment Kind and Fair is also a must-read for anyone who’s ever been a patient.
Synopsis
If you've ever gotten wrapped up in the arcana of "E.R." or "House," or been absorbed by a piece in The New Yorker by Gawande, Groopman, or Nuland, or sat on that exam table wondering what's really going on in your doctor's head, then this book is for you. Expertise versus commonsense practice; moral judgments on young patients or their parents; asking tough questions; death and physician-assisted suicide; daily life with a doctor's job (yours or a family member's); doctors as patients-Klass addresses the primary issues in the life of any doctor and, by extension, the lives of those for whom they care. Perri Klass, M.D., is a writer, teacher, pediatrician, and mentor. In her frequent contributions to the New York Times, she takes on a host of issues particular to the life of a doctor-secrecy, ethics, fear, grief, and competition-with a warmth and wit her readers have come to love. Now, in the newest addition to Basic's Art of Mentoring series, she offers her guidance, and her stories, to a new generation of doctors and readers.
About the Author
Perri Klass is a practicing pediatrician, an acclaimed author of fiction and nonfiction, and a prize-winning journalist. Her fiction includes two novels, Recombinations and Other Women’s Children, and two collections of short stories, I Am Having an Adventure and Love and Modern Medicine. She has also written two collections of essays about medicine, A Not Entirely Benign Procedure: Four Years as a Medical Student and Baby Doctor: A Pediatrician’s Training. Her recent books include Every Mother Is a Daughter with Sheila Solomon Klass, and Quirky Kids: Understanding and Helping Your Child Who Doesn’t Fit In with Eileen Costello, M.D. Klass is the Medical Director of the national literacy program Reach Out and Read, dedicated to promoting literacy as part of pediatric primary care. She is also Professor of Journalism and Pediatrics at New York University. She lives in New York City.