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Original poster

Novels about doctors or illness

42 replies

funnyperson · 04/12/2011 21:01

What fiction/non fiction/authors have you read which gives a memorable and/or moving account of doctors or people who are ill?

eg Dr Zhivago/Pasternak
AJ Cronin

OP posts:
elkiedee · 05/12/2011 13:02

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese about doctors in Ethiopia and the US was one of my favourite books read in 2010.

TanteRose · 05/12/2011 07:50

sorry, not sure that is the whole of it - its called Ink in the Blood: A Hospital Diary

TanteRose · 05/12/2011 07:34

Hilary Mantel wrote a diary of her time in hospital, which is wonderful, painful writing...you can read the whole thing here in the LRB

www.lrb.co.uk/v32/n21/hilary-mantel/diary

BornSicky · 05/12/2011 07:29

and The Plague by Albert Camus.

Probably my favourite of his novels. It's about (unsurprisingly) a plague in a town in Algeria and the whole place is quarantined. the doctor (Rieux) is kind of the hero, but it's not quite as simple as that.

BornSicky · 05/12/2011 07:27

The Good Doctor by Damon Galgut.

Interesting and shocking.

set in south africa

carlajean · 05/12/2011 07:23

sorry - The Victorian Chaise Longue

carlajean · 05/12/2011 07:19

The Victorian Chaise by M Laski, about a sick woman in the 1950s resting on a chaise longue, who is tranported back to being a victorian invalid.
Marianne Dreams - a children's classic, but I still read it now and again. Scary.

Original poster
funnyperson · 05/12/2011 00:38

Some really interesting suggestions here. Keep them coming!

Bluestocking Just interested. I was looking at this
adc.bmj.com/content/suppl/2003/06/24/88.7.635.DC1/886545ReadingList.pdf
and thought there must be others generally and wondered what mumsnetters might recommend.

OP posts:
ninjanurse · 04/12/2011 22:08

I would thoroughly recommend 'Sisters in Arms' by Nicola Tyrer, a non fictional account of the British Army nurses who served in the second world war. Absolutely fascinating, very moving and quite emotional.

DoctorGilbertson · 04/12/2011 21:31

Little women?

TeWiharaMeriKirihimete · 04/12/2011 21:29

Ignore the random quote marks there.

TeWiharaMeriKirihimete · 04/12/2011 21:28

I really enjoyed: "Trust me I'm a (Junior) Doctor by Max Pemberton"

RnB · 04/12/2011 21:14

*fan

RnB · 04/12/2011 21:13

A big A J Croninfsn here

aStarOverMangerways · 04/12/2011 21:05

Cathleen Schine - Alice In Bed.

purpleturtletoise · 04/12/2011 21:04

I have just read Lydia Cassat reading the Morning Paper, which is about somebody who's ill.

Bluestocking · 04/12/2011 21:03

Atul Gawande, a surgeon and also a brilliant writer. Why do you ask?