The Laws of Medicine: Field Notes from an Uncertain Science
Product ID: 269878346
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One of the world's premiere cancer researchers reveals an urgent philosophy on the little-known principles that govern medicine--and how understanding these principles can empower everyone. Review: … - A must read for anyone in medicine Review: Essential reading for everyone, patient and doctor alike. An interesting discourse on an inexact science. - To start off, this is a short, small book. It's also written for a general public. It's also not definitive, because we can't be definitive about this subject. Having said all that, it's a great book! I was trained as a research oncologist and stay current with the medical literature, but one of the tough aspects of that profession is explaining to people why they have developed a particular disease, why we don't know that much about it, and what might (or might not) help. Hope is something that's dangerous: hope can help heal, but hope can be dashed with consequences for the patient. Knowing what information to give someone, and how to phrase it, is a crucial if awkward part of any doctor's job. More than anything, this is a book that tries to explain, in layman terms (without being too simplistic or condescending) why we don't know as much as we should. This book is wide-ranging, covering subjects from history to philosophy, and how they overlap with the medical world. More than anything, this is a book about why "average" or "typical" isn't average or typical, and doesn't help science as much as the exceptions or outliers do. There's some interesting concepts brought up in the process, all of which are thought-provoking. I'm not going to go into detail on the contents of the book, simply because this is a book that's easy and fast to read, and reading it is an important aspect of the process of understanding the subject. This isn't just informative for non-medical people; this should be read by every doctor or researcher. Reading helps clarify some of the issues we encounter, and how best to broach them.
| Best Sellers Rank | #88,675 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #33 in Medical Examination & Diagnosis #161 in Alternative Healing Methods #359 in Medical Administration & Economics |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 232 Reviews |
I**R
…
A must read for anyone in medicine
D**R
Essential reading for everyone, patient and doctor alike. An interesting discourse on an inexact science.
To start off, this is a short, small book. It's also written for a general public. It's also not definitive, because we can't be definitive about this subject. Having said all that, it's a great book! I was trained as a research oncologist and stay current with the medical literature, but one of the tough aspects of that profession is explaining to people why they have developed a particular disease, why we don't know that much about it, and what might (or might not) help. Hope is something that's dangerous: hope can help heal, but hope can be dashed with consequences for the patient. Knowing what information to give someone, and how to phrase it, is a crucial if awkward part of any doctor's job. More than anything, this is a book that tries to explain, in layman terms (without being too simplistic or condescending) why we don't know as much as we should. This book is wide-ranging, covering subjects from history to philosophy, and how they overlap with the medical world. More than anything, this is a book about why "average" or "typical" isn't average or typical, and doesn't help science as much as the exceptions or outliers do. There's some interesting concepts brought up in the process, all of which are thought-provoking. I'm not going to go into detail on the contents of the book, simply because this is a book that's easy and fast to read, and reading it is an important aspect of the process of understanding the subject. This isn't just informative for non-medical people; this should be read by every doctor or researcher. Reading helps clarify some of the issues we encounter, and how best to broach them.
C**A
Super recomendable
El libro es cortito pero muy interesante
T**I
perfetto
regalato a mio figlio
J**E
A must read to understand what medicine really is about
We have grown accustomed to assuming that medicine is an exact science. This book explains with great examples that it's much more complex a profession.
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