I hope to work in healthcare in the future, so I am very interested in books about Medicine.
Have you read any of Oliver Sacks books? Not only does he write about strange diseases and syndromes, he also describes the people behind them and how their daily lives are affected. There are some poignant moments in his books, when you realise you're not just reading about a long word disease you can't pronounce, but someones life.
What sort of medical books are you interested in?
I'm quite interested in the history of medicine, so another book I would recommend is the Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine by James Le Fanu. It's a well known book among medical applicants here in the UK, as it describes a lot of the medical and scientific innovations and how they have impacted the care we deliver today.
There are also some great books from the point of view of the healthcare staff. Matt Pemberton is a UK-based psychiatric and writes rather eloquently about his first job as a junior doctor, and then as a psychiatrist working with the homeless. Like Oliver Sacks, he is very good at describing people's lives and not just their conditions, plus he has a great sense of humour.
If you have ever seen the TV series House MD or are just interested in rare medical cases, "Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis" by Lisa Sanders is an interesting book to read. I've only started reading it myself, but have heard some good things about it.
I also sometimes read books about healthcare systems, mainly in the UK but have started branching out a bit. It's interesting to see how resources are spent and decisions are made. Particularly when it's peoples lives on the line.
I have a long list of medical books to recommend, but I think that's enough for now!
Don't you find that when you read a medical book, you start feeling a bit poorly and then you.......................
We receive lectures about various medical conditions, and a lot of the time I stare at the screen thinking "I must be suffering from that!"
