A “finely gifted writer” shares “fifteen brilliantly written episodes covering the years from studenthood to the end of medical residency” (Oliver Sacks, MD, author of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat) Singular Intimacies is the story of becoming a doctor by immersion at Bellevue Hospital, the oldest public hospital in the country—and perhaps the most legendary. It is both the classic inner-city hospital and a unique amalgam of history, insanity, beauty, and intellect. When Danielle Ofri enters these 250-year-old doors as a tentative medical student, she is immediately plunged into the teeming world of urban medicine: mysterious illnesses, life-and-death decisions, patients speaking any one of a dozen languages, and overworked interns devising creative strategies to cope with the feverish intensity of a big-city hospital. Yet the emphasis of Singular Intimacies is not so much on the arduous hours in medical training (which certainly exist here), but on the evolution of an instinct for healing. In a hospital without the luxury of private physicians, where patients lack resources both financial and societal, where poverty and social strife are as much a part of the pathology as any microbe, it is the medical students and interns who are thrust into the searing intimacy that is the doctor-patient relationship. In each memorable chapter, Ofri’s progress toward becoming an experienced healer introduces not just a patient in medical crisis, but a human being with an intricate and compelling history. Ofri learns to navigate the tangled vulnerabilities of doctor and patient—not to simply battle the disease.

Includes the transactions of the American Surgical Association, New York Surgical Society, Philadelphia Academy of Surgery, Southern Surgical Association, Central Surgical Association, and at various times, of other similar organizations.

It is the middle of the nineteenth century and Anne Rose is an independent young woman who is intent on leaving a loveless engagement behind and becoming a surgeon in England. After she purchases a ticket on a steamship to Cairo under a false name, she lies to several passengers and tells them she is heading to Egypt to join her father. But then moments later, she fibs again and tells other passengers she is meeting her professor husband. Richard Lawrence has been traveling to Cairo for the past decade to deliver expedition groups to Cairo as part of his job at a British museum. After he is introduced to Anne on the ship, he is immediately drawn to her, but suspicious of her conflicting stories about her life. As the two-week voyage begins and an unexpected medical event brings them together, their chemistry heightens when Anne reveals the real reasons why she is traveling to Cairo. Will their burgeoning feelings for each other be enough to survive their challenges and propel her down a path toward her dream? In this historical novel, a young woman with a big dream of becoming a surgeon in nineteenth century England must reconcile with her past as her path crosses with a handsome suitor.

Why is surgery so expensive? Surgeon Paul A. Ruggieri reveals little-known truths about his profession—and the hidden flaws of our healthcare system—in this compelling and troubling account of real patients, real doctors, and how money influences medical decisions behind the scenes. Even many well-informed patients have no idea what may be contributing to the cost of their surgery. With up-to-date research and stories from his practice, Ruggieri shows how business arrangements among hospitals, insurance companies, and surgeons affect who gets treatment—and whether they get the right treatment. Pulling back the curtain from the hospital bed, he explains how to safeguard one’s own health (and finances), and how America can make surgery more affordable for all without sacrificing quality care.

In Cancer Stories five people share their journeys, their stories, and the suffering they faced before their deaths. These narratives chronicle the despair, hope, and love they experienced while living and dying with cancer, giving the power of the human spirit full voice. Lessons learned are presented as "gifts" at the conclusion of each of the five narratives. This book is for people living with the disease and their caregivers. Nurses and physicians, students in any health-related discipline, as well as persons engaged in qualitative research will also find this an invaluable resource. The importance of incorporating qualitative, research-based approaches in caring for the dying emerges from the narratives. Cancer Stories points toward a more holistic research/treatment agenda, one that bridges the medical and social sciences.