Bedside: The Art of Medicine

Michael A. LaCombe
University of Maine Press (2010)
ISBN 9780891011187
Reviewed by Marcy Blesy for Reader Views (07/10)


“Bedside: The Art of Medicine” by Michael LaCombe is an interesting assortment of stories all revolving around the medical community.  Dr. LaCombe, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, is a talented writer.  Weaving “stories” of fiction, he recognizes there is much truth in the tales he weaves.  For example, there is a story about a mentor whose message is that your mentor is there with you even in spirit when tough decisions must be made.  He counsels, “When I’m impatient with patients, I remember his patience with me…When I begin to doubt myself, I remember his belief in me.”   Through stories of patients’ dying, the doctor-patient relationship, the calling to be a doctor, and others, Dr. LaCombe writes movingly allowing his audience to place themselves in many of the scenarios. 
           
Clearly, the most obvious audience for “Bedside: The Art of Medicine” is people connected to the medical community:  doctors, nurses, medical professors, and the like.  The professionals who are in the trenches daily probably face some of the same dilemmas as the characters in these stories.  However, just as most people think they understand what it’s like to be a teacher because they’ve been to school, many people believe they understand what it’s like to be a doctor because they’ve been sick.  How wrong these people are.  Pausing to realize that doctors are human - like this book forces you to do - creates a deeper connection between layman and doctor.  I, for one, appreciate more the realness of doctors and how the burden of their responsibilities can impact their lives.

I will be passing along my copy of “Bedside: The Art of Medicine” to a doctor friend, but others will gain something valuable from the engaging stories as well.

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