Special 60th Anniversary of the NHS Edition. The world is full of TV doctors, but only Dr Phil has appeared on Have I Got News For You seven times and Countdown thirty-four times, a true mark of greatness (whatever Lord Winston says). He is also Private Eye's medical correspondent and possibly the only comic to have appeared at a Public Inquiry. And to mark the 60th Anniversary of the NHS, Dr Phil was summoned by robot-assisted health minister Lord Darzi to help the NHS rediscover its happiness. Not all of Phil's opinions made it into the Darzi review, so here they are in full, in a shiny new epilogue. Dr Phil (46, Capricorn) has worked in the NHS for twenty-one years but only used it twice. He takes no drugs (apart from Australian Shiraz) and has never knowingly been Rolfed. So how does he remain so healthy? And what sort of Doctor is he? Here, at last, are transcripts of Dr Phil's most life-enhancing consultations and comedy as well as some excellent health tips stolen from other people (especially Dr Raj).
Medicine Balls
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One of the most entertainingly subversive people on the planet. --The Guardian
Great to have a pint with but you wouldn't want him as your doctor. --The Times
Not on the shortlist to replace Carol Vorderman. --Channel 4
Great to have a pint with but you wouldn't want him as your doctor. --The Times
Not on the shortlist to replace Carol Vorderman. --Channel 4
Great to have a pint with but you wouldn't want him as your doctor. --The Times
Not on the shortlist to replace Carol Vorderman. --Channel 4
Great to have a pint with but you wouldn't want him as your doctor. --The Times
Not on the shortlist to replace Carol Vorderman. --Channel 4
About the Author
Dr Phil Hammond is a doctor, comedian and commentator on UK health. He writes the Medicine Balls column for Private Eye and has starred in an acclaimed one-man show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Dr Phil regularly appears on Radio 4 in 28 Minutes To Save The NHS and The News Quiz and on television as captain in Channel Five's Tibs and Fibs and on BBC in Trust Me, I'm A Doctor, as well as being a regular guest on Have I Got News For You and Countdown.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By Pigache
Format:Paperback
Phil Hammond is a carrot-topped, motor-mouthed, whislteblowing medic; star of stand-up, small screen and author of the `Medicine Balls' column for Private Eye. This book is effectively those columns, extended with material from his successful Edinburgh Fringe show and interspersed with spoof GP consultations. It is, he says `a semi-autobiographical, medico-politico, self-help comedy with poems'. So you can see, he isn't quite sure where the book fits but, as you would expect, it's sharp and very funny.
The autobiographical bits include the problems of being a `ten-thumbed' doctor hopeless at the dextrous bits of his trade, and his drug addiction - to Australian Shiraz. Edited, the medico-politico bits could stand as a Sunday broadsheet rant against what New Labour has done to the NHS, or, edited another way, a health policy document for Gordon Brown. The GP consultations suggest that Dr Hammond has a nice ear for dialogue and might one day write a good play. The self-help is succinct and spot on: `Other Emergencies: Sudden loss of anything - sight, movement, feeling, breath, blood, condom, consciousness, the will to live - requires urgent medical assistance. This does not apply to your cat or wallet.' Give this book or Christmas to anyone not going into hospital, or Alan Johnson.
The autobiographical bits include the problems of being a `ten-thumbed' doctor hopeless at the dextrous bits of his trade, and his drug addiction - to Australian Shiraz. Edited, the medico-politico bits could stand as a Sunday broadsheet rant against what New Labour has done to the NHS, or, edited another way, a health policy document for Gordon Brown. The GP consultations suggest that Dr Hammond has a nice ear for dialogue and might one day write a good play. The self-help is succinct and spot on: `Other Emergencies: Sudden loss of anything - sight, movement, feeling, breath, blood, condom, consciousness, the will to live - requires urgent medical assistance. This does not apply to your cat or wallet.' Give this book or Christmas to anyone not going into hospital, or Alan Johnson.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Satire is very good at crystallising problems but rarely offers solutions. After mercilessly deconstructing the over-regulated Stalinist NHS, Dr Phil has a stab at improving it and health in general ('the best way to save the NHS is not to use it'). There's some interesting stuff about unleashing the creativity of the staff and moving resources upstream, all done with trade mark acerbism. At times Hammond try to cram too much in, with a plot line that ridicules TV doctors and exposes his own clinical inadequacies. I'm not sure if we should take him more or less seriously as a result. He's certainly human. And very funny.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By retired GP
Format:Paperback
What an extraordinary book. The temptation for a comic and columnist must be to just churn out old material but Hammond has produced something far more interesting with his `semi-autobiographical medico-political self-help comedy novel with poems.' It starts with a seemingly unconnected string of skittish consultations and the bulk of the book is a version of his stand up show, '89 Minutes to Save the NHS.' This is very funny and often useful, along the lines of Trust Me, I'm a Doctor. But the seemingly ridiculous quest to find the world's greatest TV doctor builds into an engaging story with a completely unexpected ending. It's not quite a novel - as Hammond puts it `I can only do narrative' - but there's a real passion behind the parody and he's at his best when satirizing himself. As a retired doctor, I loved his routine from 1989 which compares well with House of God and Cardiac Arrest in it's bleakness and reminds me how awful the Tories were for the NHS. I'm not sure what the General Medical Council will make of it - do they have a charge for bringing medicine into disrepute? - but it's a great read for doctors and anyone who uses them.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good but not as good as his other book
Not as witty or as observant as his other book, at times you wonder you bother seeing doctors at all and I'm not sure I want to hear about doctors laughing at a babies head falling... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Steve E
1.0 out of 5 stars
Below par
Being a great fan of Dr Phil and his other books, I bought this one eagerly but was bitterly disappointed in it. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. Roger A. Law
2.0 out of 5 stars
Medicine Balls
I've just finished reading this book, having bought two previous ones - Trust me I'm a Doctor and Trust Me I'm still a Doctor. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Mrs. Oriel G. Bayliss
5.0 out of 5 stars
At last
At last I finally remembered to get this book for my wife. She's been prompting me for ages, having been a fan of Dr Phil's when seeing him on Countdown, but I keep forgetting. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2010 by Mike
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Houseman's Egg
I am really disappointed to say that I cannot fully endorse Medicine Balls. This is mainly because I simply like Dr Phil Hammond. Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2009 by H. meiehofer
5.0 out of 5 stars
very VERY funny. Best not to read it on the tube
Fast paced, somewhat dark humour, and a bit graphic at times. If that doesnt put you off ... there is no getting away from its utter excellence: so many sharp and surprising... Read more
Published on 21 April 2009 by davidr_128
1.0 out of 5 stars
Medicine Balls
This did not appeal to my sense of humour. Perhaps it was too sophisticated, for me to appreciate, but I lost interest halfway through and didn't finish the book.
Published on 7 April 2009 by Marwen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Medicine as it really is
If you love black humour you will love this. The three things I got from this book are: avoid doctors for a healthy life; only take the pills which will actually make a positive... Read more
Published on 18 Sep 2008 by Damaskcat
5.0 out of 5 stars
Satire, plus a little extra
Amusing, angry, provocative and with a clear message about where the NHS is headed.
I could not agree less with the barely literate review suggesting this book would... Read more
I could not agree less with the barely literate review suggesting this book would... Read more
Published on 19 May 2008 by Chris Mac
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nowhere to hide
I have to disagree with Ms McKee, who curiously seems to have spiked Dr Hammond's other book, despite it being out of print for two years. Read more
Published on 9 April 2008 by Mark Twain
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