Deosreviews

Book Review Dear People, with love and care, Your Doctors published by Bloomsburyindia.

Edited by Dr Debraj Shome and Dr Aparna Govil Bhaskar.

The book is actually a collection of 34 stories, rather anecdotes from lives of doctors and patients alike. There is the perspective of doctors as care givers and as patients themselves or being a family member of a patient. Their role not o

nly as a doctor but as a human on the whole has been taken out.

On a personal front, the stories here have moved me extremely. I grappled with words to write about this book.

From the beautiful preface to stories that stretch from a doctor living with remorse of almost killing his patient, of letting go of emotions on death of a favorite patient to patients like Sagarbai who upturn their savings and give and earn mutual respect. There is the story of a Mr Bhasker, who being a management person is privy to the super hectic life of his surgeon wife!

There is story of contrasting human nature where some patients display exemplary behaviour while others hold you responsible for things beyond control.

Loved the story of the futuristic healthcare where empathy and personal contact changed the entire scenario of healthcare, where your hippocampus becomes a dropbox and a cobot your assistant!

From acid attack victims to undying spirits of a doctor turned spastic paralysed himself, to how a nose job changes your life and how placebo s and doctors talk can encourage you to extreme, this book will make you live every emotion!

Being a researcher in biology and also due to close association with many doctors due to my papa being a terminal cancer patient himself, I could relate very very well to this book. To the editor, Dr Shome, kudos, I figured that you have lost your doctor father to lung cancer and the story is from your mother. But I believe the facilities you received as a doc would be difficult for the common man to get!

Lastly as the book emphasizes the balance between trust and understanding of the doc and the patient is really the first and most important factor is mutual benefit to fight against common enemy disease!

Special mention also to the two forewords, the second one specifically, which lists the do s of patients and reminds doctors of their Hippocratic Oath! To serve!

Its a book which is unique and impossible to rate. Will pass it down to the doctors and patient parties I know. There is much to know from and feel from this book!

It is informative, insightful and heartfelt!

I must thank Sma and Md. Akhlaq here for this books copy! I am gonna cherish it!