Balm for the Brain
Top books on the turning points in modern medicine.
BY SHERWIN NULAND
Saturday, April 1, 2006 12:01 a.m. EST
1. "The Interpretation Of Dreams" by Sigmund Freud (1899).
In these days of relentless Freud-bashing, it borders on heresy to suggest reading the master's own words. But "The Interpretation of Dreams" is a stunning book. Freud (who won the Goethe Prize, Germany's highest literary award, in 1930) writes in a pleasantly conversational tone that belies the explosive significance of the concepts he's broaching: the Oedipus complex, childhood sexuality and his thesis that our nighttime dreams are the fulfillment of our daytime wishes. Those who know but little about the details of Freud's contributions will be astonished at how easy they are to comprehend when presented by the man himself.
2. "The Double Helix" by James Watson (Atheneum, 1968).
Who says that reading about molecular biology can't be fun? James Watson's highly subjective account is a romp through the ups, downs, tangents and trickery of making what was doubtless the greatest biological discovery of the 20th century, the elucidation of the molecular structure of DNA. The brilliant Watson and his perhaps even more brilliant associate, Francis Crick, are hardly the polite Hardy Boys of the laboratory--there was plenty of backbiting and elbowing as they raced against some of the leading biologists of their time, most particularly Linus Pauling, the two-time Nobelist. The unsparing character sketches alone are worth the read.
3. "The Silent World of Doctor and Patient" by Jay Katz (Free Press, 1984).
If it is true, as some say, that physicians are the least introspective or self-doubting of the learned professionals, the reason may be that they are convinced of their own good intentions and of their ability to make correct therapeutic choices. But many physicians' eyes were opened by the publication two decades ago of "The Silent World of Doctor and Patient," in which Jay Katz demonstrates the ways in which a paternalistic system of medical care is encouraged by a surprising lack of communication between doctor and patient, too often resulting in inappropriate treatment. The publication of this classic of medical ethics--by one of the discipline's most respected pioneers--was a major factor in the current movement for patient autonomy. Things are much better than they were back then, but we still have a long way to go.
4. "Microbe Hunters" by Paul de Kruif (Harcourt, Brace, 1926).
For decades after its publication, Paul de Kruif's collection of fascinating essays on the careers of bacteriological discoverers was the volume most commonly cited by medical students when they were asked if the reading of any single book had drawn them to their choice of profession. De Kruif presents one stirring story after another--from Anton von Leeuwenhoek's invention of the microscope in the 17th century to Theobald Smith's detection of the role of animals and ticks in the spread of microbes in the 20th. We also see intrepid investigators pursuing the notion of germ theory and identifying the causes and methods of transmission of such diseases as diphtheria, yellow fever and sleeping sickness. This is heady stuff, and de Kruif is a gifted storyteller.
5. "The Merck Manual of Medical Information: Home Edition" edited by Robert Berkow, Mark H. Beers and Andrew J. Fletcher (Merck, 1997).
Americans have been consulting home medical manuals for more than 300 years, but this one is unlike any other. The legendary "Merck Manual," first published in 1899, has always been a highly practical volume of diagnosis and therapy, but one intended for physicians. In 1997, recognizing the increasing public demand for sophisticated and yet understandable medical information, its publishers brought forth this version for the general reader, and it is a gem. In an era of exhausting Internet searches, it is refreshing to curl up in an armchair with a book discussing more than 3,000 medical conditions and to savor its clear, unhurried prose.
Dr. Nuland is a clinical professor of surgery at the Yale University School of Medicine and the author of "How We Die" (Knopf, 1994; winner of the National Book Award) and of "Maimonides" (Schocken, 2005).
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