Synopses & Reviews
andlt;B andgt;An epic story told by a unique voice in Ameriand#173;can medicine, One Doctor describes life-changingandlt;/Bandgt; experiences in the career of a distinguished physiand#173;cian. In riveting first-person prose, Dr. Brendan Reilly takes us to the front lines of medicine today. Whipsawed by daily crises and frustraand#173;tions, Reilly must deal with several daunting challenges simultaneously: the extraordinary patients under his care on the teeming wards of a renowned teaching hospital; the life-threatening illnesses of both of his ninety-year-old parents; and the tragic memory of a cold case from long ago that haunts him still. As Reillyand#8217;s patients and their families survive close calls, struggle with heartrending decisions, and confront the limits of medicineand#8217;s power to cure, One Doctor lays bare a fragmented, depersonaland#173;ized, business-driven health-care system where real caring is hard to find. Every day, Reilly sees patients who fall through the cracks and suffer harm because they lack one doctor who knows them well and relentlessly advocates for their best interests. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Filled with fascinating characters in New York City and rural New Englandand#8212;people with dark secrets, mysterious illnesses, imposand#173;sible dreams, and many kinds of courageand#8212;One Doctor tells their stories with sensitivity and empathy, reminding us of professional values once held dear by all physicians. But medicine has changed enormously during Reillyand#8217;s career, for both better and worse, and One Doctor is a cautionary tale about those changes. It is also a hopeful, inspiring account of medicineand#8217;s potenand#173;tial to improve peopleand#8217;s lives, Reillyand#8217;s quest to understand the and#8220;truthand#8221; about doctoring, and a moving testament to the difference one doctor can make.
Review
andlt;divandgt;"A gripping memoir by a doctor's doctor. Reilly's career has taken him from inner city hospitals to remote
Review
“One Doctor contains the essence of all of it: our humanity and nobility - and why we are all entranced by medical dramas of every kind. A stunning book." Christiane Northrup, M.D., ob/gyn physician and author of the New York Times bestsellers, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and
Review
and#8220;Extraordinary up-close story-telling. Brendan Reilly takes us bedside to witness the dramas and dilemmas of everyday medicine. andlt;iandgt;One Doctor andlt;/iandgt;is a love story about a man and his lifelong passion for the mysteries and miracles of medicine.and#8221;
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Brendan Reilly has written a
Review
and#8220;One Doctor contains the essence of all of it: our humanity and nobility and#8211; and why we are all entranced by medical dramas of every kind. A stunning book."
Review
andlt;divandgt;"Brendan Reilly has written a
Review
andlt;divandgt;"A gripping memoir by a doctor's doctor. Reilly's career has taken him from inner city hospitals to remote
Review
andlt;bandgt;and#8220;Heart-pounding pace and drama and#8230; remarkable and#8230; His book is about more than the joy of saving lives and the sadness of losing them and#8211; itand#8217;s an intimate exploration of modern medicine and the human condition.and#8221;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;A gripping memoir by a doctorand#8217;s doctor. Reillyand#8217;s career has taken him from inner city hospitals to remote rural practices. He writes movingly about what it is like on the front lines: the mysteries, the frustration and the rewards of his chosen calling. A must read for the general public and any young person contemplating a career in medicine.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Brendan Reilly has written a beautiful book about a forgotten subject and#8211; what it means for a physician to truly care for a patient. andlt;iandgt;One Doctorandlt;/iandgt; shows why this matters today more than ever before.and#8221;
Review
"Reilly provides valuable insight into modern medicine as he relates his most challenging cases up to the present. Gripping and compassionate."
Review
and#8220;Reillyand#8217;s medical narrative nicely intertwines true stories of challenging patients with valuable lessons on doctoring and and#8220;patienthood.and#8221; Empathy and thoughtfulnessand#8212;andlt;iandgt;One Doctor andlt;/iandgt;has oodles of it.and#8221;
Review
"Compassion, dedication, respect, professional competence, humility. All of these qualities shine through the many stories that make up the bulk of Brendan Reillyand#8217;s and#8220;One Doctor.and#8217;and#8217; This book is much more than merely a gripping memoir written by an expert storyteller who also happens to be one of the nationand#8217;s most respected leaders of academic medicine. Spanning a 40-year career, the deftly woven tapestry of anecdotes and scholarly analysis...nimbly alternates between two time frames. Reillyand#8217;s moving and eloquently written book will be sure to interest not just those working in the medical professions. and#8220;One Doctorand#8217;and#8217; is simply a terrific read."
Review
"Powerful...Many of the diagnoses Dr. Reilly discusses begin as little more than gut feelings. But watching him piece together a diagnosis, scrap by scrap, makes for riveting scenesand#8212;part mystery, part thriller. The action is all the more intense because some patients, despite his brilliance, really will die."
Review
and#8220;Empathy and thoughtfulness and#8211; ONE DOCTOR has oodles of it.and#8221;
Review
andlt;iandgt;One Doctorandlt;/iandgt; is gutsy and heartfelt, a recommended read for anyone interested not only in modern medicine but also one man's professional and personal journey, as instructive as it is inspirational....Reilly's insightful ruminations make for a fascinating read, further strengthened by fast-paced, first-person accounts of challenging cases."
Review
"Dr. Brendan Reilly has done history a true service... He is a good, fluent writer with a fine ear for dialogue, and his excursions from the particulars of his cases to broad medical, social and economic principles are always on point. Dr. Reilly deserves a resounding bravo for telling it like it is (sometimes), like it should be (always) and, increasingly, like it never will be again."
Synopsis
An epic story told by a unique voice in American medicine, One Doctor describes life-changing experiences in the career of a distinguished physician.
An epic story told by a unique voice in American medicine, One Doctor describes life-changing experiences in the career of a distinguished physician. In riveting first-person prose, Dr. Brendan Reilly takes us to the front lines of medicine today. Whipsawed by daily crises and frustrations, Reilly must deal with several daunting challenges simultaneously: the extraordinary patients under his care on the teeming wards of a renowned teaching hospital; the life-threatening illnesses of both of his ninety-year-old parents; and the tragic memory of a cold case from long ago that haunts him still. As Reilly s patients and their families survive close calls, struggle with heartrending decisions, and confront the limits of medicine s power to cure, One Doctor lays bare a fragmented, depersonalized, business-driven health-care system where real caring is hard to find. Every day, Reilly sees patients who fall through the cracks and suffer harm because they lack one doctor who knows them well and relentlessly advocates for their best interests.
Filled with fascinating characters in New York City and rural New England people with dark secrets, mysterious illnesses, impossible dreams, and many kinds of courage One Doctor tells their stories with sensitivity and empathy, reminding us of professional values once held dear by all physicians. But medicine has changed enormously during Reilly s career, for both better and worse, and One Doctor is a cautionary tale about those changes. It is also a hopeful, inspiring account of medicine s potential to improve people s lives, Reilly s quest to understand the truth about doctoring, and a moving testament to the difference one doctor can make."
Synopsis
Reminiscent of the eloquent writings of physicians Abraham Verghese, Atul Gawande, and Siddhartha Mukherjee, this compelling story is told by a unique voice in American medicine, Brendan Reilly, a distinguished internist whose work was profiled at length by Malcolm Gladwell in his bestselling book Blink.One Doctor is a riveting first-person narrative—a true story that reads like a novel and recreates Dr. Reilly’s present-day, moment-to-moment “E.R.”-like dramas with patients, families, and medical staff at the Medical Center. At the heart of One Doctor is an unsolved medical mystery that haunts Reilly: the loss of a legendary engineer friend and patient, Fred, who died suddenly after he began to see angels and hear voices. Fred was renowned for many inventions, including a navigational device that was removed from Amelia Earhart’s plane before she took off on her last flight. As Fred sought to learn Earhart’s fate, Reilly searches for the reason behind Fred’s death, piecing together his last days to arrive at a chilling revelation. Lessons learned from Fred’s case resonate throughout Reilly’s experiences with other patients in the book, ultimately leading to the saving of thousands of lives.
From the cases in One Doctor, patients and caretakers learn what works and what doesn’t in today’s health care and how to avoid falling through the cracks. As compelling as an episode of House, written with the skill of How We Die and My Own Country, One Doctor is a wrenching, brilliant, inspiring read.
Synopsis
An epic story told by a unique voice in American medicine, One Doctor describes life-changing experiences in the career of a distinguished physician.In riveting first-person prose, Dr. Brendan Reilly takes us to the front lines of medicine today. Whipsawed by daily crises and frustrations, Reilly must deal with several daunting challenges simultaneously: the extraordinary patients under his care on the teeming wards of a renowned teaching hospital; the life-threatening illnesses of both of his ninety-year-old parents; and the tragic memory of a cold case from long ago that haunts him still. As Reilly’s patients and their families survive close calls, struggle with heartrending decisions, and confront the limits of medicine’s power to cure, One Doctor lays bare a fragmented, depersonalized, business-driven health-care system where real caring is hard to find. Every day, Reilly sees patients who fall through the cracks and suffer harm because they lack one doctor who knows them well and relentlessly advocates for their best interests.
Filled with fascinating characters in New York City and rural New England—people with dark secrets, mysterious illnesses, impossible dreams, and many kinds of courage—One Doctor tells their stories with sensitivity and empathy, reminding us of professional values once held dear by all physicians. But medicine has changed enormously during Reilly’s career, for both better and worse, and One Doctor is a cautionary tale about those changes. It is also a hopeful, inspiring account of medicine’s potential to improve people’s lives, Reilly’s quest to understand the "truth" about doctoring, and a moving testament to the difference one doctor can make.
About the Author
Dr. Brendan Reilly is executive vice chair of medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. A widely published clinical researcher and educator, he has served as the chair of medicine and physician-in-chief at Chicagoand#8217;s Cook County Hospital, which, during Reillyand#8217;s thirteen-year tenure there, was the inspiration (and setting) for the hit NBC television series andlt;iandgt;ERandlt;/iandgt;.