I find Smith’s rage to be energising and I do not think that those of us who grew up before Smith during second wave feminism in the 1970s can sit this one out. To have the case for the importance of biological
Most people have never heard of Derek Parfit. He was a moral philosopher whose reasonings have probably influenced the way many of us (the non-philosophers who are stuck in the foothills of the mountain) think today. Terry Temple reviews a new biography.
This is Jolyon Maugham: erstwhile homeless teenager, rags-to-riches tax lawyer, agitator, social media influencer and King’s Counsel with attitude. His arguments about why societal conflicts increasingly need legal recourse deserve careful scrutiny. The profession needs to understand his playbook.
Hannah Barnes has written a detailed account of what happened at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS). Margaret McCartney reflects on the risk that healthcare organisations run when worries from staff translate into organisational defensiveness.
"The result is this honest, insightful, and compassionate book. It’s a guide to, and guide through, the hidden curriculum of untaught competencies without which a new doctor’s life can become a Kafka-esque nightmare of self-doubt" - Roger Neighbour reviews The Bleep Test:
What are the personal and human factors that most motivate and anchor our best healthcare? What best nourishes and sustains both patients and healthcarers to endure together life’s most difficult challenges? This book answers such questions with luminous and engaging clarity.
Womb is an unashamedly feminist book exploring anatomy, science and history related to the female genital tract.
Mindlines are not just internalised instructions for what to do. Mindlines are what we share, including the facts we know and the issues we care about. Because of their link to our professional identity, mindlines are also who we are. Trisha Greenhalgh
Daws quietly subverts our need to make things better and move on, which often makes the consulting room door a revolving one. The alternative is simply to listen, to our patients and ourselves, with a view to enabling change rather than forcing
We all need to enjoy learning about society from time to time (emphasis on enjoy). However, many of the concepts discussed in this book have a direct bearing on policy and practice in relation to primary care.
‘Dahlia and Carys’ can be read simply as a romantic thriller with kidnapping, daring rescues from active war zones and theft of antiquities. However, its strength lies in its exploration of some hard-hitting contemporary issues including sexuality, the fear engendered by the
"Knowing how our brains work best may improve how we lead and organise teams. It could feel like the difference between swimming with the current rather than against it" – Terry Kemple reviews The Social Brain: The Psychology of Successful Groups by
Andrew Papanikitas reviews this collection of practical reflections for practice by John Launer. Warning: contains concepts!
GPs are not the target audience of this book. It a well-written potted history of the technology of vaccination. GPs may, however, find the book to be a well-written, highly accessible, and generally accurate resource to recommend to their patients...
In 'Would you kill the fat man?' Edmonds takes a well-known philosophical thought experiment – commonly known as the ‘trolley problem,’ and explores it and its various iterations in a fun, fresh, stimulating read.
My assumption was of a middle class journalist parachuting in to a deprived area and reporting through his own middle class lens. How wrong I was – this is actually the extraordinarily reflective work of a man who grew up with
"Building Blocks in Paediatrics builds bridges. It builds a bridge between the everyday presentation of undifferentiated childrens’ problems and the core of paediatric medicine." - David Misselbrook reviews Building Blocks in Paediatrics edited by Alfred Nicholson and Kevin Dunne ...
Shem is a pseudonym for an American psychiatrist who adopted his daughter with his wife. Whilst his book is fictional, I could feel his real-life experience in the sensitivity of his insights. Adoptive parents can have a feeling of inadequacy and a
I think it would be fair to say that none of my medical school curriculum was dedicated to the radical idea of convalescence... Instead from Day 1 we were taught the cutting edge of knowledge and skill to be able to take
In 2017, Timothy Snyder (a US historian of the 20th century) felt compelled to write a pamphlet with lessons he had learnt from decades of studying Nazi and Stalinist atrocities. It is a manual for how to understand the world around us
Timothy Snyder kept a diary whilst in hospital in the US where he was finally treated, the experience of which forms the basis of his reflections. Much of what he writes about is clearly written about and for the American context, but
In 'Helgoland,' Carlo Rovelli attempts to bring us up to date with the latest in the bewildering and bewitching subject of quantum physics. One of his main assertions is that the observer will always affect the observed.
Richard Armitage reviews two self-help books by controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson
"While undoubtedly fibromyalgia may not be adequately covered in the medical curriculum, I am not sure that this book fills the gap." – Carolyn Chew-Graham reviews Fibromyalgia by Thanthullu Vasu ...
"As this book progresses, its early playful, even comedic, lightness gives way to the author’s very substantial criticisms ... [that] attempts to metricise, micromanage, and proceduralise all medical consultations and services has led to the displacement and destructing of trusting relationships ...
At six-years-of-age, Hibo Wardere was forcibly held down and brutally subjected to Type III female genital mutilation (FGM). This book tells her story, a riveting, personal, and candid account of her journey...
"Out of nowhere a fit GP [Paul Coffey] ... approaching retirement is diagnosed with inoperable gastric cancer ... Coffey charts the medical, human, oncological, and psychological dramas that take place over the next 3 years with great charm, insight, intelligence, and honesty."
"For me, Range gave credibility to a pre-existing feeling — that early specialisation is less likely to succeed." – Richard Armitage reviews Range: How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, with additional reflections on GP training and today's general practice ...
"Last night, after the three hours it took to get to the toilet and back, to change the bed, to negotiate the medication, he told me I’m very irritating." - Karen Chumberley reviews Fiona Mason's 36 Hours, a reflection on the last
These are five small 'stocking-filler' books that you might see in a bookshop or a charity shop. They are all short and readable, and small enough to fit into most Christmas stockings. They all importantly have some inspiration and wisdom with which
Moral Leadership in Medicine provides a vital account of how the needs of patients and the aspirations of professionals are translated into actions beyond the bedside and should form part of any debate on the future of healthcare.
Sherifi has not written a history per se but a rigorous reflective account of NHS general practice, with relevance to the practitioner and policymaker alike ...
"He is not a man we would ever know or like, but he is interesting" – Terry Kemple reviews Henry 'Chips' Channon: The Diaries, Volumes 1–3 edited by Simon Heffer
This book focuses on Dr Elizabeth Blackwell in America, and Dr Elizabeth Garrett-Anderson and Dr Sophia Jex-Blake in England and explores the difficulties they faced in forging their way in medicine.
"This book is a beautiful representation of what is wonderful, difficult, complex, and rewarding about our job" – Hannah Milton reviews 34 Patients: What Becoming a Doctor Taught Me About Health, Hope and Humanity by Tom Templeton
"a long, detailed, and, at times, harrowing book, but it is worth the effort" – Hannah Milton reviews The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Austin O'Carroll reviews 'Reading to Stay Alive: Tolstoy, Hopkins and the Dilemmas of Existence' by Chris Dowrick
This book should be required reading before applying to medical school. Understanding Henrietta Lacks’ story and her immortal cells is important for all doctors and scientists argues Hannah Milton.
New technologies in health and social care are always a pain, right? Trish Greenhalgh shares a more hopeful and possibly helpful perspective.
Penelope Campling worked for the NHS for 40 years as a Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist and her book uses patient stories to discuss how we can remain holistic and compassionate as clinicians.