As academic myself I both recognise and appreciate the skill required to articulate complex matters as effectively as Dr. Morgan; the book is informed by theory from a wide range of disciplines. That being said, I did not enjoy the book as much as I had hoped.
My first observation is that at times I felt a little patronised. One example would be the section considering CPR and the implied assumption that the reader would not already know how to do this.
I also picked up some minor errors that I found a little irritating. For example, at one point Dr. Morgan explains that he now “hardly ever uses a stethoscope” yet later goes on to state that “tomorrow I will examine all of my patients with my hands and my stethoscope”. Elsewhere he discusses how one doctor’s landmark discovery in 1854 was followed in 1854 by his introduction of the use of anaesthesia during the delivery of Prince Leopold in 1854. To the best of my understanding Prince Leopold was born in the spring of 1853.
Although patient case histories were interesting, I would have liked more. I felt that consideration of the science was predominant. Generally I found Dr Morgan’s medical accounts to lack the depth and ‘grittiness’ I enjoyed in books such as ‘This is going to hurt’ by Adam Kay. Whilst I fully appreciate the author’s commitment to upholding his respect for his patients and colleagues, in my opinion the book felt ‘oversanitised’.
I note that my review does not correlate with the majority of those that precede it (and am aware that many of my observations may appear ‘nit picky’ but are fully intended to be constructive). I do note that a number of them have been written by people who have been sent advance review copies.
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