Synopses & Reviews
The ancient Greeks used the term catharsis for the cleansing of both the body by medicine and the soul by art. In this inspiring book, internationally renowned cardiologist Andrzej Szczeklik draws deeply on our humanistic heritage to describe the artistry and the mystery of being a doctor. Moving between examples ancient and contemporary, mythological and scientific, Catharsis explores how medicine and art share common roots and pose common challenge.
As Szczeklik explores such subjects as the mysteries of the heart rhythm, the secret history of pain relief, the enigmatic logic of epidemics, near-death or out-of-body experiences, and many more, he skillfully weaves together classical literature, the history of medicine, and moving anecdotes from his own clinical experiences. The result is a life-affirming book that will enrich the healing work of patients and doctors alike and make an invaluable contribution to our still-expanding vision of the art of medicine.
“Drawing on mathematical ideas, physics, music, mythology, clinical science and clinical practice, Szczeklik never forces the issues or compels. . . . He approaches the questions of pain, suffering and death that confront the doctor daily and that the world regards as ‘terrible, futile, and destructive. Here he stresses the immense value of the experienced doctor in helping patients in the loneliness of pain.”—Niall O'Higgins, Times Higher Education Supplement
About the Author
Andrzej Szczeklik is professor in and chair of the Department of Medicine in the School of Medicine at the Jagiellonian University, Poland. For his scientific contributions to the study of asthma and myocardial infarction, he has received awards from the Royal College of Physicians, the Lancet, and the Foundation for Polish Science. Antonia Lloyd-Jones is a translator of Polish literature whose recent works include Mercedes Benz, a novel by Pawel Huelle, and In the Garden of Memory, a family biography by Joanna Olczak-Ronikier.
Table of Contents
Foreword, Czeslaw Milosz
1. Ribbons
2. Constellations
3. The Elixir of Life
4. A Tangle of Serpents
5. In between Art and Science
6. The Rhythm of the Heart
7. A Purifying Power
8. Suffering
9. Exitus
10. Chimera
11. After the Genome
12. Alterations and Returns
Notes