I came across this book when I was looking for an insight into the surgical world since I was starting my master's in a program popular with surgeons.
This book was great at showing how human the healthcare system is and specially its surgeons who have the reputation of being gods or machines. Of course it is only a reputation. This book helps see them under a different light where like every human they make mistakes they learn from it and some don't but the consequences of their actions have a big impact on their patients' lives and their own as well.
I like how this book doesn't profess surgery as the ultimate great branch of medicine. Sure it is a very hard one but the book shows how other branches improved and how their technology and methods can help surgery become more refined and less risky. The one example I remember is anesthesiology. They reduced their human errors by introducing machines that help the anesthesiologist make sure the tubes are in the airways and that the patient's is still breathing.
This book is worth reading since not only it is informative but the writing style of the author is fluid and has the ability to keep your attention by using personal anecdotes. I remember reading about the author's first emergency tracheotomy and I remember feeling anxious about the woman's outcome. These stories adds yet another human touch to the sterile and stoic world of surgery.
Recommended read for curious souls and upcoming surgeons.
