Medicine Books

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures

Anne Fadiman

List Price: $25.00 By: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Amazon Marketplace: 25 new & used starting at $4.36

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 216 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction

When three-month-old Lia Lee Arrived at the county hospital emergency room in Merced, California, a chain of events was set in motion from which neither she nor her parents nor her doctors would ever recover. Lia's parents, Foua and Nao Kao, were part of a large Hmong community in Merced, refugees from the CIA-run "Quiet War" in Laos. The Hmong, traditionally a close-knit and fiercely people, have been less amenable to assimilation than most immigrants, adhering steadfastly to the rituals and beliefs of their ancestors. Lia's pediatricians, Neil Ernst and his wife, Peggy Philip, cleaved just as strongly to another tradition: that of Western medicine. When Lia Lee Entered the American medical system, diagnosed as an epileptic, her story became a tragic case history of cultural miscommunication.

Parents and doctors both wanted the best for Lia, but their ideas about the causes of her illness and its treatment could hardly have been more different. The Hmong see illness aand healing as spiritual matters linked to virtually everything in the universe, while medical community marks a division between body and soul, and concerns itself almost exclusively with the former. Lia's doctors ascribed her seizures to the misfiring of her cerebral neurons; her parents called her illness, qaug dab peg--the spirit catches you and you fall down--and ascribed it to the wandering of her soul. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices.

The Pact

Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, Lisa Frazier Page

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 62 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Pact 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book was meant for any child, teen, man or woman, who are living today without hope for a better future. The pact is about a brotherly commitment between friends to achieve their life long dreams. The reason that I use the word brotherly is because their pact was only as strong as the weakest of them. They became like family in support of one another and diligently worked together to achieve their dreams.

Follow the Dream, Get your friends to help 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I picked up this book after my wife and I started a group reading with my son of the book; "We Beat the Streets." "We Beat the Streets" book was written by the same authors but geared toward a younger crowd (suggested ages 9 to 15y/o). The pact was a great book as a source of inspiration. Being an African American male near the same age range, I was able to relate to at least one aspect of each of the three guys. At points where Rameck had a chip on his shoulder and struggle to put the anger behind him I related to that anger when confronted by unfair situations and judgmental people throughout college. Times when set backs occurred related to bad choices, an ill family member, or failing to pass a critical exam on the first try reminded me how as a young black male you feel like you're on the edge of falling of track at any given moment. Regardless of race and sex when you spear-headed the family into a new level of educational/professional success you will feel the weight of a lot of dreams and hopes placed on your shoulders daily. Often as a young man I felt times where I just didn't want to deal with that kind of pressure.

This story reminded me that it is important to stay focused and move through the rough periods in order to be in a position to help friends and loved ones. By example let them know that they can achieve there goals/dreams.

Two key factors in this story will continue to give me the courage to move forward. Never forget the 3 D's; Discipline, Determination, and Dedication. Always remember that choosing the right friends may mean the difference between success and failure in my life's goals. Friends are crucial when faced with situations in life that are difficult. I am proud to say that my wife is my best friend with an ear to listen. As I pursue my second master's degree my thoughts turn to adding to my list of goals a doctorate. Thank you Doctors Davis, Jenkins, and Hunt for this wonderful gift of brotherly love!

I give this book a, 5 out of 5 stars. If you're a Dad it's a must read with your son or daughter. All they see is the man you are now; let them know that God, Faith, and loving relationships got you where you are today!!

Editorial Review:

They grew up on the streets of Newark, facing city life's temptations, pitfalls, even jail. But one day these three young men made a pact. They promised each other they would all become doctors, and stick it out together through the long, difficult journey to attain that dream. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt are not only friends to this day-they are all doctors.

This is a story about the power of friendship. Of joining forces and beating the odds. A story about changing your life, and the lives of those you love most...together.

Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God and Diversity on Steroids

Julie Salamon

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Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A bestselling author and award winning journalist follows a year in the life of a big urban hospital, painting a revealing portrait of how medical care is delivered in America today

Most people agree that there are complicated issues at play in the delivery of health care today, but those issues may not always be what we think they are. In 2005, Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, unveiled a new state-of-theart, multimillion-dollar cancer center. Determined to understand the whole spectrum of factors that determine what kind of medical care people receive in this country, bestselling author Julie Salamon spent one year tracking the progress of the center and getting to know the characters who make the hospital run. Located in a community where sixty-seven different languages are spoken, Maimonides is a case study for the particular kinds of concerns that arise in institutions that serve an increasingly multicultural American demographic. Granted an astonishing “warts and all” level of access by the hospital higher-ups, Salamon followed the doctors, patients, administrators, nurses, ambulance drivers, cooks, and cleaning staff. She explored not just the action on the ground—what happens between doctors and patients—but also the financial, ethical, technological, sociological, and cultural matters that the hospital community encounters every day.

Drawing on her skills as interviewer, observer, and social critic, Salamon presents the story of modern medicine, uniquely viewed from the vantage point of those who make it run. She draws out the internal and external political machinations that exist between doctors and staff as well as between hospital and community. And she grounds the science and emotion of medical drama in the financial realities of operating a huge, private institution that must contend with issues like adapting to the specific needs of immigrant groups that make up a large and growing portion of our society.

Salamon exposes struggles of both the profound and humdrum variety. There are bitter internal feuds, warm personal connections, comedy, egoism, greed, love, and loss. There are rabbinic edicts to contend with as well as imams and herbalists and local politicians. There are system foul-ups that keep blood test results from being delivered on time, careless record keepers, shortages of everything except forms to fill, recalcitrant and greedy insurance reimbursement systems, and the surprising difficulty of getting doctors to wash their hands.

This is the dynamic universe of small and large concerns and personalities that, taken together, determine the nature of our care and assume the utmost importance. As Martin Payson—chairman of the board at Maimonides and ex-Time-Warner vice chairman—puts it: “Hospitals have a lot in common with the movie business. You’ve got your talent, entrepreneurs, ambition, ego stroking, the business versus the creative part. The big difference is that in the hospital you don’t get second takes. Movies are make-believe. This is real life.”

And the Band Played on: Politics, People, And the AIDS Epidemic

Randy Shilts

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 68 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

How the fight against AIDS was initially lost.... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Even though I've been fortunate to never have had AIDS touch my life, this book still brought home a powerhouse of feelings - shame at seeing how poorly so many of our fellow human beings were treated, anger at the way their suffering was treated as insignificant, grief at how many people have been lost to such an insidious disease and outrage at the way our government - and governmental health agencies - were willing to play politics when peoples lives were at stake.

Randy Shilts creates a moving, troubling narrative that gives "And the Band Played On" more of the feeling of a novel than of a report or documentation of a study. You get to know the people he writes about enough to care about them - and about what happens to them.

In more recent years, there have been some questions raised about his identification of Gaeton Dugas as "Patient Zero," with current thinking that it took a number of different people to bring AIDS to the western world and begin spreading here. Obviously, this is a point that will likely never be entirely resolved, but even if you disagree with Shilts theory, the rest of the book is still very informative and well worth reading.

Editorial Review:

Why was AIDS allowed to spread unchecked during the early 1980s while our most trusted institutions ignored or denied the threat? In this expose of one of the most important issues of our time, the author answers this question - revealing how the federal government put its budgetary concerns ahead of the nation's welfare, how health authorities placed political expediency before public health, and how some scientists valued national prestige more than saving lives.

Caring for Patients from Different Cultures: Case Studies from American Hospitals

Geri-Ann Galanti

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

APPALLING book ! Full of insulting stereotypes & little insight! 1 out of 5 stars.
9 of 12 people found this review helpful.

I have a long-standing interest in cultural issues in healthcare and so I eagerly bought this book. It's in the 3rd edition--I figured it must be good.

It is appalling! You can turn to almost any page and find a portayal of a person from a minority culture that is presented in such a way that it makes the person sound like an idiot. Not just immigrant and ethnic minority patients--immigrant medical professionals, too.

In addition, she does not modify her gross generalizations by saying, "HIGHLY OBSERVANT Muslims" or "LESS-ACCULTURATED Mexicans" or even "SOME Chinese." No, for Galanti, she generalizes about Muslims, Mexicans and Chinese, with no gradations according to people's country of origin and degrees of orthodoxy (e.g. Muslims), generations in this country, fluency in English, etc.

I am afraid this volume will perpetuate stereotypes. Yes, it may be "fun reading" for people who know nothing about the topic, but they will end up with a view of "how weird those people are!" rather than either any true cultural understanding or a better sense of how to adapt their own practice to meet their patients' needs.

i have never returned a book in my life--this is going to be the first.

For alternative choices on related topics consider:
Culture & Clinical Care (Lipson & Dibble)
Ethnicity & Family THerapy (McGoldrick)
Child Abuse & Culture: Working with diverse families (Fontes)
The spirit Catches You and YOu Fall Down (Fadiman).

Stay away from this one!

Editorial Review:

What happens when a Cherokee patient summons a medicine man to the hospital, or when an Anglo nurse refuses to take orders from a Japanese doctor? Why do Asian patients rarely ask for pain medication, while Mediterranean patients seem to seek relief for even the slightest discomfort? Geri-Ann Galanti argues that if the goal of the American medical system is to provide optimal care for all patients, health-care providers must understand cultural differences that create conflicts and misunderstandings and that can result in inferior medical care. This new edition includes five new chapters and 172 case studies of actual conflicts that occurred in American hospitals. With new chapters on pain, dietary practices, staff relations, death and dying, and mental health, the new edition is more comprehensive and has been designed for easier use. Each case study is extensively cross-referenced in the index, and there is a comprehensive bibliography arranged by both topic and ethnic group.

The Colony: The Harrowing True Story of the Exiles of Molokai

John Tayman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 82 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Overall a good read 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Overall I liked this book. I think the author largely achieved what he set out to, which was to tell the story of the lepers of Molokai and tell it in a way that could hold your attention throughout the book.

This book was not however perfect. My main criticism was the constant flow of characters coming in/out of the story, especially all the outsiders (IE members of the board of health). I was often left with questions such as "who was this person again?". I must admit I read this somewhat sporadically over a months time, so that could have had some to do with it, but I did find the sheer number of people presented a bit over the top. This criticism aside, I still found it to be an enjoyable read and would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in this kind of story.

Editorial Review:

Beginning in 1866 and continuing for over a century, more than eight thousand people suspected of having leprosy were forcibly exiled to the Hawaiian island of Molokai -- the longest and deadliest instance of medical segregation in American history. Torn from their homes and families, these men, women, and children were loaded into shipboard cattle stalls and abandoned in a lawless place where brutality held sway. Many did not have leprosy, and many who did were not contagious, yet all were ensnared in a shared nightmare.

Here, for the first time, John Tayman reveals the complete history of the Molokai settlement and its unforgettable inhabitants. It's an epic of ruthless manhunts, thrilling escapes, bizarre medical experiments, and tragic, irreversible error. Carefully researched and masterfully told, The Colony is a searing tale of individual bravery and extraordinary survival, and stands as a testament to the power of faith, compassion, and the human spirit.

The Wounded Storyteller: Body, Illness, and Ethics

Arthur W. Frank

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In At the Will of the Body, Arthur Frank told the story of his own illnesses, heart attack and cancer. That book ended by describing the existence of a "remission society," whose members all live with some form of illness or disability. The Wounded Storyteller is their collective portrait.

Ill people are more than victims of disease or patients of medicine; they are wounded storytellers. People tell stories to make sense of their suffering; when they turn their diseases into stories, they find healing.

Drawing on the work of authors such as Oliver Sacks, Anatole Broyard, Norman Cousins, and Audre Lorde, as well as from people he met during the years he spent among different illness groups, Frank recounts a stirring collection of illness stories, ranging from the well-known—Gilda Radner's battle with ovarian cancer—to the private testimonials of people with cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, and disabilties. Their stories are more than accounts of personal suffering: they abound with moral choices and point to a social ethic.

Frank identifies three basic narratives of illness in restitution, chaos, and quest. Restitution narratives anticipate getting well again and give prominence to the technology of cure. In chaos narratives, illness seems to stretch on forever, with no respite or redeeming insights. Quest narratives are about finding that insight as illness is transformed into a means for the ill person to become someone new.

Cultural Diversity in Health & Illness (6th Edition)

Rachel E. Spector

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Not a good resource for this important area of inquiry 1 out of 5 stars.
44 of 49 people found this review helpful.

This review updated by author on March 21, 2006:

I recently (Spring 2005) used this text in an undergraduate health professions course titled "Diversity in Health and Illness". The author addresses a broad scope of cultures, issues and responses to cultural needs in health care. Although the book contains much that is useful, my students found it to be, on balance, confusing and disorganized.

I believe much of this response can be attributed to poor editing. We identified numerous spelling and grammar errors throughout. Poorly edited content is also evident in several chapters. Example: "...this chapter has introduced the dominant culture's perception of health and illness through countless lenses" (pp. 67). Similarly, "...countless letters are displayed attesting to the healing powers of this statue" (pp. 106). Isn't there a more accurate word to use in place of `countless'? More importantly, ethnic and race labels are not used consistently. "Hispanic" and "Latino" are used as though they are strictly interchangeable; ditto for "Black" and "African American." Term consistency would enhance clarity.

My concerns with the text are more fundamental and numerous but I will limit myself to a few examples:

USE OF SOURCE DATA AND REFERENCE MATERIALS
Although the text is heavily laden with descriptive statistics, comparative data is often not included, thus limiting interpretations. For example, the discussion of rising expenditures for unconventional therapies in the U.S. (pp. 96) includes expenditure estimates for 1990 and 1997. Without companion statistics for conventional therapy expenditures, readers are unable to asses the magnitude of the trend. Similarly, the description of the African American population as young (54.4% are under 18 - pp. 233) is not very enlightening in the absence of corresponding percentages for the white population and the overall American population. Figure 10-3 adds little additional information.

References for culture group descriptions are often either very old (1950's - 1970's), not the definitive works, or are not sufficiently academic (encyclopedias and web pages), and should be replaced with citations for newer research reported in more rigorous formats. Several important sections contain insufficient or no reference citations. The "Health/HEALTH Care Choices" section (pp. 85) contains numerous historical claims but only a single reference to the American Heritage Dictionary.

OUT OF DATE THEORIES
Some of the sociological and anthropological concepts presented do not represent current theoretical stances. I was especially interested in exploring citations for the "Cycle of Poverty" discussion in Chapter 2, as this blame-the-victim concept has fallen out of favor in sociological circles because it ignores structural realities that are beyond the control of individuals. This conflation of structural problems with cultural phenomena inadvertently creates a situation where the subtle racist beliefs we all learn through our socialization is reinforced in the classroom. Sadly, the only citation provided in this section, (Spector 1979, pp. 148-152), refers to an earlier edition of this book. Original references should be provided.

The Chapter 3 discussion of the sick role is limited to functionalist models presented by Talcott Parsons (1966) and Edward Suchman (1965). As our society ages we are experiencing increasing levels of chronic illness and more patients cannot expect to fully recover. More recent examinations of the illness experience would be appropriate.

CULTURAL MISUNDERSTANDINGS
The discussion of historical background for Native American cultures (pp. 186-188) is particularly dismal. While somewhat correct in broad outlines, the text reads like a less-than-distinguished freshman research paper, and includes various repeats. The discussion of traditional health beliefs and practices is limited to those of the Navajo and Hopi - important southwestern groups - but not representative of all Native Americans. Sources cited are limited to a few 1960's and 1970's references. Strains of the Noble Savage are also evident, particularly with reference to the discussion of "True Indian love" and domestic violence (pp. 200).

The role of voodoo in African American traditions is somewhat overstated (Chapter 10), and is presented as an explanation for present-day underutilization of the allopathic system (pp. 239). At the same time, more realistic explanations are omitted. Chief among those are the disproportionate poverty experienced by the community as well as recent and historical sources of distrust between the African Americans and the largely white medical establishment (e.g., antebellum forced medical experimentation, Tuskegee Experiment, Holmesburg Prison Experiments).

INTERPRETATIONS
My graduate degree is in anthropology, and although I expected some level of disconnect between my training and the nursing orientation of Spector, I found myself admonishing my students several times over to ignore specific passages and sections in this text as irrelevant or just plain wrong.

For example, in the section titled "Cultural Phenomena Affecting Health", in Chapter 1, subheadings include "Biological Variations" and "Social Organization". Confusion between biology and culture appears in other places as well, and was especially troublesome for my students with their limited previous exposure to the concept of culture.

The "Social Organization" subheading precedes a disjointed (but brief) discussion of childhood socialization, family organization, and barriers to health care access. Perhaps the first two could be combined in a section "Socialization". Regarding the barriers to health care access (e.g., unemployment, poverty and lack of health insurance), these could be better characterized as economic barriers rather than social barriers. Diminished economic resources are correlated to large extent with particular demographic groups, but one should avoid essentializing the availability of resources as a series of ethnic or cultural traits. Conceptualizing these issues as cultural phenomena obscures the contributions of racism, xenophobia, and unequal distribution of wealth to the problems of unequal access. Spector draws these categories from a previously published article, and the uncritical use of other people's published materials is apparent throughout the book.

Spector's background is nursing, and on balance, I am not sure that this provides one with the appropriate skills necessary to summarize the fundamentals of culture and cultural diversity. Theorising culture and society is (and should remain) the domain of anthropologists and sociologists (and perhaps psychologists). Like nursing and most other applied and academic fields of inquiry, understanding culture requires a great deal of specialized education.

On my initial reading I suspected a functionalist interpretation of the intersection between health care and culture, but on further examination this book is more like an online encyclopedia where everything (including the kitchen sink) is thrown in. What is missing is a critical evaluation of the usefulness and theoretical implications of others' data and interpretations. The result is conflicting content and a great deal of confusion.

A final example: Spector rejects the WHO health definition but does not suggest a better alternative. Instead she seems to think that health is indefinable: "I would define health as an undefined term" (pp. 50). I agree that students should maintain an open mind, but perhaps a series of limited definitions addressing a variety of situations would be more useful in the classroom. Social science practitioners and researchers struggle with variability in human behavior as a matter of course, but that struggle is mitigated through a realization that definitions are often necessary heuristic devices rather than complete summaries. Put simply, if we can't know a thing, aren't we just wasting our time?

I have reviewed a number of alternate texts over the past year and have found the problems discussed here to be present in several other texts. Perhaps the academic pursuit of cultural care is still in its nascent stage.

In any case, I have found "Culture in Rehabilitation: from Competency to Proficiency" edited by Royeen and Crabtree (Pearson 2006) to be a much better text for my class. The authors represent a variety of health professions and the text was reviewed by a similarly diverse panel of ten. Most of the contributions present robust bibliographies, rely on up-to-date social science research, and avoid the culture-as-checklist approach. I will review the text in detail sometime in May 2006.

Editorial Review:

The sixth edition of this best-selling resource continues to teach nursing, health professions, medical and social science readers the importance of cultural competence and cultural awareness in the health care industry. The new edition will include revised organization to create a better flow of content, new content on gererational differences, updated chapter on health care delivery system, updated illustrations and tables and MediaLink icons. For undergraduate and graduate courses in patient care and basic health related profession programs, as well as medical, social work, and other health disciplines.

Fasting Girls: The History of Anorexia Nervosa

Joan Jacobs Brumberg

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Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Absolutely fascinating 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 15 people found this review helpful.

This book was totally absorbing. I didn't want to put it down. Who would have thought that such a terrible disease would have its origin in the Medievel church, as women starved themselves for their beliefs and to become (as they believed) holy. But, like most things under the sun, it's all been done before, so there really shouldn't be any surprise that self-starvation has a very long history.

I really enjoyed the histories of the individual "fasting girls." And Ms. Brumberg's description of the Victorian middle class was priceless and eye opening, considering how that era is so romantizied by a lot of us today.

The book revealed so much about how culture (present and past) shapes our opinions of ourselves, especially us women. Reading the book brought out my anger that society and culture expect women to have "perfect" bodies..."perfect" everything, and the pressure that is on us, both as teenagers and adults.

I recommend this book to anyone who would like to know more about anorexia nervosa and its history. There is a great deal of fascinating information. Just keep your dictionary handy to look up all the medical terms Brumberg quotes (and for some of her own words as well). My only disappointment in the book was that it ended too abruptly. Her book had me hooked, and then, finally, it had to end. I think there is a great deal more to be said about this disease, and I hope that she keeps up with the history and maybe writes another volume. Kudos to you, Ms. Brumberg. Very well done.

Editorial Review:

Winner of four major awards, this updated edition of Joan Jacobs Brumberg's Fasting Girls, presents a history of women's food-refusal dating back as far as the sixteenth century. Here is a tableau of female self-denial: medieval martyrs who used starvation to demonstrate religious devotion, "wonders of science" whose families capitalized on their ability to survive on flower petals and air, silent screen stars whose strict "slimming" regimens inspired a generation. Here, too, is a fascinating look at how the cultural ramifications of the Industrial Revolution produced a disorder that continues to render privileged young women helpless. Incisive, compassionate, illuminating, Fasting Girls offers real understanding to victims and their families, clinicians, and all women who are interested in the origins and future of this complex, modern and characteristically female disease.

The Medical Marriage: Sustaining Healthy Relationships for Physicians and Their Families

Wayne M. Sotile, Mary O. Sotile

Amazon Price: $27.00 List Price: $30.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: American Medical Association Press Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $18.47

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

you are not alone 5 out of 5 stars.
28 of 28 people found this review helpful.

As the spouse to a physician, I have always wondered if our relationship was unique. After reading this book, I realized the answer is yes and no. Yes, it is unique in that I am married to a physician which has its own set of characteristics. And No, it isn't unique among other medical marriages. We are not alone when it comes to spouses who are driven, perfectionists, and OCD to name a few. This book lays out the various types of physician relationships, their personality traits and characteristics and examples of good and bad relationships. An added benefit is the quotes from real life couples and also the steps successful couples have followed. This book really saved my sanity and gave me perspective I greatly needed at a tough time. I realized I had to have a different understanding of my relationship as it was unique to the profession. A wonderful book for anyone about to enter a relationship with a physician, anyone already in a relationship and for the physician themselves! ( My husband read it and said, 'Hmm, that does sound like me!" )

Editorial Review:

The Medical Marriage aims to educate its readers on how to take a proactive approach to making medical marriages and family relationships work successfully. It identifies and explains the key issues, potential difficulties, and tensions that can characterize marriages and family relationships in which one or both partners are physicians.