The House of God

Reasonable quality, used but still readable. Rapid delivery.

Great book but a little depressing. If your other half is a doctor maybe set your credulity aside while you read this. Maybe that's what things are like in America but definitely not here, which is a relief! THe writing is funny and engaging and it's a quick, interesting read. I recommend it as long as you're not expecting a saintly, reverent look at the medical profession!

Have you ever wondered what's going on behind the impassive, professional countenance of a hospital doctor? Have you ever considered those early years in their careers that they spend on wards? How it is that on the day they graduate from medical school they suddenly have all the answers? Well, they don't. "House of God" is Samuel Shem's account of his year as an intern, the first year after medical school (in the UK they're called House Officers). He captures the intensity of the experience perfectly, and the humour that helped him survive makes this book one of the funniest I have ever read. Behind the laughter is a serious account of how he came close to the edge mentally during that first year. The limits of medicine are also revealed, disturbingly for the lay-patient with a naive belief that modern doctors can cure anyone who reaches hospital alive, and there are some sobering conclusions about how we treat the elderly for those who wish to draw them. But I wouldn't want to mislead you - this is above all a hilarious account of a year in the life of a junior doctor in those carefree 70s when alcohol and sex were still recreations and not merely pathologies. The hard edge beneath makes that humour all the more effective, and the occasional tragic event makes the laughter as necessary for the reader's emotional well being as it was for the author. Buy it, read it, and wonder why you had never come across this masterpiece before.

Had this book recommended to me by several senior doctors (usually in the context of complaining about the health service, patients or colleagues). They all seemed to think it was edgy and controversial - a glimpse into the 'real' world of healthcare and revealing the untold truths about how doctors view their patients and each other. In reality, the content is far from revelatory; it is rather old-hat and underwhelming. The book hasn't aged well and has lost much of its relevance to modern medicine. However, it is mildly interesting from a historical perspective. The introduction (written in 1995) claims the book to be outrageous and compares it to Joseph Heller's Catch-22. Nothing in this book is as clever or funny as Catch-22. As for outrageous, I got the end and wondered if I had missed the chapter where the outrageous stuff happened. Perhaps this book is still eye-popping to those who are new to medicine and are, as yet, unjaded. I wonder if those doctors who recommended I read The House of God would still view it as edgy and controversial. There are many other books, since published, that offer the reader a more modern perspective on medicine that I would recommend before bothering with The House of God: In Stitches by Nick Edwards; Sick Notes by Tony Copperfield; Trust Me, I'm a Junior doctor by Max Pemberton.

A rather quirky but truly worthwhile book. An absolute classic in the health sector. So if you’re a doctor, paramedic, or nurse, you should read it.

A lively and bawdy account of medical training in the USA 40 years ago, based on the author's experience, which became a classic plea for humanity in the treatment of patients. Unfortunately the issues behind it are still relevant, and I am going to present it to my granddaughter, currently a medical student, and see what she thinks.

Sad but real.

Essential reading for all medical students and doctors of all ages - black humour steeped in humanity - when you are in hospital as a patient, hope for "The Fat Man" who relies on your body to heal itself. Watch out for nearly all others. The humour was the only way to survive the system. A classic - generally voted near the top of lists of books to read by doctors - so we recognise ourselves in there somewhere - and of course all our colleagues! Trust me you need a doctor with a sense of humour!