"I have handled 12,000 hearts." The author has been practicing in cardiac and thoracic surgery for decades and has outstanding surgical results. This book not only brings together some classic cases experienced by the author (most of them occurred between the 1970s and 2000s), but also explains the author's mental journey.
A poor boy from a working-class family was inspired by the medical documentaries of his childhood and hurt by the death of his relatives, and finally trained himself to become an outstanding cardiac surgeon. He was excited about the success of the interview and wandered the streets of London's river bank. He opened the chest of children with congenital heart disease or severe airway burns. He fought for the anxiety and desire of patients and their families. To fight against the anxiety of the next day's surgery, he went deep into the Saudi desert to admire the night sky. He was decisive in trying his best to repair. Cutting off a dying heart, confronting the medical director to save his life, installing an artificial "battery" heart on a patient "without authorization", and telling cold jokes in the face of crucial surgeries where his life was hanging by a thread... The image of a surgeon with superb skills, full of arrogance and reverence for life is vividly displayed on the page. Readers are also amazed by the top surgical technologies that existed more than ten or even decades ago.
In addition to showing the miraculous skills of cardiothoracic surgery, the author also uses diseases, patients and his own business travels to reveal the various aspects of the world, introduce the customs and cultures around the world, show the sadness and love seen in the eyes of a surgeon, and reflect on the medical system, ethics and medical education. Readers will gain a lot of feelings and inspiration. It is a masterpiece that combines narrative charm, medical knowledge and miracles.
Reader comments
Actually... I don't like reading that much.
I don't have much interest in medicine either.
I came to read this book only because of the official recommendation of "Love and Deep Space", because the man I like is also a heart surgeon.
This book is indeed quite good, just for a layman, just for a person who wants to know better what the person he likes is like.
After only reading a few chapters, I feel like my Dr. Li and I are one step closer, and I understand my Dr. Li better.
The profession of doctor is ordinary but great!
This is recommended by someone I like. He is a doctor. After reading this book, I learned about his daily work and felt a little closer to him.
From the subtitle: A Heart Surgeon's Life and Death Story on the Operating Table, you can roughly know what this book is about. Every time a miracle of resurrection occurs in the book, one cannot help but feel the nobility of medicine, the value of science, and the dedication of doctors. In life, when it comes to the realm of the heart, you will always feel that it is mysterious. Every beat represents vitality. On another spiritual level, it is the invisible source of thought and the foundation. The stories in the book are only a few of his representatives. In them, we can get a glimpse of the increasing difficulties faced by the heart with the development of the times, and how difficult it is for doctors to face this difficult career path. May we all live a healthy life.
This book gave me a deeper understanding of what a cardiac surgeon does. The author's experience reminded me of my own pursuit of true love, which was also full of challenges and uncertainties. The surgical scenes described in the book made me feel the fragility of life, and also made me cherish the people around me more. At the same time, the author's thoughts on the medical system and ethics also resonated with me, making me realize that I also need to pay attention to and think about these issues on the road to finding true love. This is a book worth reading. It not only gives people a deeper understanding of the medical field, but also makes people think more about life and love.
This is a documentary work that reveals the inside story of the medical industry. The author uses real-life experiences and personal experiences to illustrate the decisions and challenges that cardiac surgeons face on the operating table. This book not only tells the psychological struggle of doctors facing life and death decisions and ethical dilemmas, but also explores the issues of the medical system and patients' rights. By revealing the medical reality and exploring human nature, the book arouses readers' thinking and reflection on medical ethics and the dignity of life. It is an inspiring story that makes us cherish life and care for others more.
I read it on and off for half a month and finally finished it.
When I was a child, I had a beautiful fantasy about surgeons, as if I could save a life just by operating an operation, and it was something that would be fruitful as long as I did it. But as many medical students say, advising people to study medicine is overwhelming (laughing). Although I am glad that I did not embark on this path, I also have a little regret.
From this book, I predicted some surgical procedures that would shatter my imagination. When I read it, I felt very complicated, especially when facing a dead patient. I would either get angry and lose my job, or walk away without saying a word. Life is so pure, and the line between life and death has become easy to cross. Thank you to every doctor who did not give up.
From the subtitle: A Heart Surgeon's Life and Death Story on the Operating Table, you can roughly know what this book is about. Every time a miracle of resurrection occurs in the book, one cannot help but feel the nobility of medicine, the value of science, and the dedication of doctors. In life, when it comes to the realm of the heart, you will always feel that it is mysterious. Every beat represents vitality. On another spiritual level, it is the invisible source of thought and the foundation. The stories in the book are only a few of his representatives. In them, we can get a glimpse of the increasing difficulties faced by the heart with the development of the times, and how difficult it is for doctors to face this difficult career path. May we all live a healthy life.
Doctors have always been a profession respected by everyone, and surgeons are even more respected. In addition to showing the miraculous skills of cardiothoracic surgery, the author also uses diseases, patients and his own business travels to reveal the various aspects of the world, introduce the customs and cultures around the world, show the sadness and love seen in the eyes of a surgeon, and reflect on the medical system, ethics and medical education. Readers will gain a lot of feelings and inspiration. It is a masterpiece that combines narrative charm, medical knowledge and miracles.
Miracles are rare in the world, but there are always people working hard to create miracles, but it is so easy to destroy this rare miracle. Perhaps "life is impermanent" is ordinary. One was Oslin, a patient with a difficult and complicated disease who had tried his best to save his life. Everything was going well, but suddenly one day he suddenly died. The child was only 2 years old when he was rescued, and he was less than 4 years old when he died. I have spent a lot of time writing about how to think of ways to save him. The operation was finally successful, and the recovery was good, but he died suddenly. The other is Jim. The surgery obviously went very well and the prognosis was also very good. However, due to carelessness, he forgot to prepare extra batteries and the device ran out of power. He died tragically and unexpectedly. Peter, who was the first to accept that he became a "cyborg", was unexpectedly robbed after the surgery and was able to immediately retrieve the power line and keep the device running. The comparison between the two is really shocking. Sometimes medical miracles cannot be exchanged for the miracle of life.
Having said that, it's nice to be able to overcome a difficult medical problem. The author's grandmother died of suffocation due to laryngeal edema caused by thyroid cancer, so he worked hard to save the patient in a case of dyspnea caused by a different reason than his grandmother. After seeing the report, the doctor at the African Red Cross Hospital wanted to ask the author if there was a way to save the child Oslin, and the author also succeeded in saving the child. This chain reaction is really touching. And the author's pride and complacency after every successful attempt always makes people smile.
In addition, some systemic problems do not exist in one place alone, but occur universally, just sooner or later. What's even more uncomfortable is that there are clearly lessons learned from the past, but they don't take it as a warning and just let it develop, or they can't find any good solutions.
The author's language is witty and humorous, and he also makes some homophonic jokes, puns, or cold jokes from time to time. I don't know if it's unique to the author or if it's all doctors do. I've seen many doctors "play" like this, hahaha.
In short, this book is very easy to read. It has the warmth of life, the humor of the language, and the professionalism of a practitioner. Even non-practitioners can read it well.
This is a documentary work that reveals the inside story of the medical industry. The author uses real-life experiences and personal experiences to illustrate the decisions and challenges that cardiac surgeons face on the operating table. This book not only tells the psychological struggle of doctors facing life and death decisions and ethical dilemmas, but also explores the issues of the medical system and patients' rights. By revealing the medical reality and exploring human nature, the book arouses readers' thinking and reflection on medical ethics and the dignity of life. It is an inspiring story that makes us cherish life and care for others more.
An autobiography of the world's top cardiac surgeon, a cardiac surgeon's life and death story in front of the operating table. Every case is thrilling and wonderful. Quietly comprehend life and death, victory and defeat, hope and despair, gratitude and compassion...
This is the second time I read this book. This time, I first roughly learned about the anatomy and physiology of the heart, and then the professional knowledge in the book was no longer obscure. Dr. Westaby's description of medical technology is very careful and unambiguous. Super nice book, highly recommended!
Actually... I don't like reading that much. I don't have much interest in medicine either. I came to read this book only because of the official recommendation of "Love and Deep Space", because the man I like is also a heart surgeon. This book is indeed quite good, just for a layman, just for a person who wants to know better what the person he likes is like. After only reading a few chapters, I feel like my Dr. Li and I are one step closer, and I understand my Dr. Li better. The profession of doctor is ordinary but great!
This is recommended by someone I like. He is a doctor. After reading this book, I learned about his daily work and felt a little closer to him.
From the subtitle: A Heart Surgeon's Life and Death Story on the Operating Table, you can roughly know what this book is about. Every time a miracle of resurrection occurs in the book, one cannot help but feel the nobility of medicine, the value of science, and the dedication of doctors. In life, when it comes to the realm of the heart, you will always feel that it is mysterious. Every beat represents vitality. On another spiritual level, it is the invisible source of thought and the foundation. The stories in the book are only a few of his representatives. In them, we can get a glimpse of the increasing difficulties faced by the heart with the development of the times, and how difficult it is for doctors to face this difficult career path. May we all live a healthy life.
This book gave me a deeper understanding of what a cardiac surgeon does. The author's experience reminded me of my own pursuit of true love, which was also full of challenges and uncertainties. The surgical scenes described in the book made me feel the fragility of life, and also made me cherish the people around me more. At the same time, the author's thoughts on the medical system and ethics also resonated with me, making me realize that I also need to pay attention to and think about these issues on the road to finding true love. This is a book worth reading. It not only gives people a deeper understanding of the medical field, but also makes people think more about life and love.
This is a documentary work that reveals the inside story of the medical industry. The author uses real-life experiences and personal experiences to illustrate the decisions and challenges that cardiac surgeons face on the operating table. This book not only tells the psychological struggle of doctors facing life and death decisions and ethical dilemmas, but also explores the issues of the medical system and patients' rights. By revealing the medical reality and exploring human nature, the book arouses readers' thinking and reflection on medical ethics and the dignity of life. It is an inspiring story that makes us cherish life and care for others more.
I read it on and off for half a month and finally finished it. When I was a child, I had a beautiful fantasy about surgeons, as if I could save a life just by operating an operation, and it was something that would be fruitful as long as I did it. But as many medical students say, advising people to study medicine is overwhelming (laughing). Although I am glad that I did not embark on this path, I also have a little regret. From this book, I predicted some surgical procedures that would shatter my imagination. When I read it, I felt very complicated, especially when facing a dead patient. I would either get angry and lose my job, or walk away without saying a word. Life is so pure, and the line between life and death has become easy to cross. Thank you to every doctor who did not give up.
From the subtitle: A Heart Surgeon's Life and Death Story on the Operating Table, you can roughly know what this book is about. Every time a miracle of resurrection occurs in the book, one cannot help but feel the nobility of medicine, the value of science, and the dedication of doctors. In life, when it comes to the realm of the heart, you will always feel that it is mysterious. Every beat represents vitality. On another spiritual level, it is the invisible source of thought and the foundation. The stories in the book are only a few of his representatives. In them, we can get a glimpse of the increasing difficulties faced by the heart with the development of the times, and how difficult it is for doctors to face this difficult career path. May we all live a healthy life.
Doctors have always been a profession respected by everyone, and surgeons are even more respected. In addition to showing the miraculous skills of cardiothoracic surgery, the author also uses diseases, patients and his own business travels to reveal the various aspects of the world, introduce the customs and cultures around the world, show the sadness and love seen in the eyes of a surgeon, and reflect on the medical system, ethics and medical education. Readers will gain a lot of feelings and inspiration. It is a masterpiece that combines narrative charm, medical knowledge and miracles.
Miracles are rare in the world, but there are always people working hard to create miracles, but it is so easy to destroy this rare miracle. Perhaps "life is impermanent" is ordinary. One was Oslin, a patient with a difficult and complicated disease who had tried his best to save his life. Everything was going well, but suddenly one day he suddenly died. The child was only 2 years old when he was rescued, and he was less than 4 years old when he died. I have spent a lot of time writing about how to think of ways to save him. The operation was finally successful, and the recovery was good, but he died suddenly. The other is Jim. The surgery obviously went very well and the prognosis was also very good. However, due to carelessness, he forgot to prepare extra batteries and the device ran out of power. He died tragically and unexpectedly. Peter, who was the first to accept that he became a "cyborg", was unexpectedly robbed after the surgery and was able to immediately retrieve the power line and keep the device running. The comparison between the two is really shocking. Sometimes medical miracles cannot be exchanged for the miracle of life. Having said that, it's nice to be able to overcome a difficult medical problem. The author's grandmother died of suffocation due to laryngeal edema caused by thyroid cancer, so he worked hard to save the patient in a case of dyspnea caused by a different reason than his grandmother. After seeing the report, the doctor at the African Red Cross Hospital wanted to ask the author if there was a way to save the child Oslin, and the author also succeeded in saving the child. This chain reaction is really touching. And the author's pride and complacency after every successful attempt always makes people smile. In addition, some systemic problems do not exist in one place alone, but occur universally, just sooner or later. What's even more uncomfortable is that there are clearly lessons learned from the past, but they don't take it as a warning and just let it develop, or they can't find any good solutions. The author's language is witty and humorous, and he also makes some homophonic jokes, puns, or cold jokes from time to time. I don't know if it's unique to the author or if it's all doctors do. I've seen many doctors "play" like this, hahaha. In short, this book is very easy to read. It has the warmth of life, the humor of the language, and the professionalism of a practitioner. Even non-practitioners can read it well.
This is a documentary work that reveals the inside story of the medical industry. The author uses real-life experiences and personal experiences to illustrate the decisions and challenges that cardiac surgeons face on the operating table. This book not only tells the psychological struggle of doctors facing life and death decisions and ethical dilemmas, but also explores the issues of the medical system and patients' rights. By revealing the medical reality and exploring human nature, the book arouses readers' thinking and reflection on medical ethics and the dignity of life. It is an inspiring story that makes us cherish life and care for others more.
An autobiography of the world's top cardiac surgeon, a cardiac surgeon's life and death story in front of the operating table. Every case is thrilling and wonderful. Quietly comprehend life and death, victory and defeat, hope and despair, gratitude and compassion...
This is the second time I read this book. This time, I first roughly learned about the anatomy and physiology of the heart, and then the professional knowledge in the book was no longer obscure. Dr. Westaby's description of medical technology is very careful and unambiguous. Super nice book, highly recommended!
Thank you for their recommendation (*σ´∀`)σ