I’m in the process of tidying up up my blog. so I’m just posting a few book reviews I had posted elsewhere, but I wanted to make sure they were codified in the main body of the blog. Second up:-
“Reaching Down The Rabbit Hole”, Ropper, A. and Burrell, B.D. (2015) Atlantic Books
Reaching Down The Rabbit Hole
Having been under the care of a neurologist since 1997, I was fascinated by a book written by a US neurologist of the old-school, outlining his approaching to patient care and crucially, diagnosis. At the same time, it is as much an account of a qualitative to professionalism, rejecting a numbers-based approach, to one that is based on human interactions, and looking out for the ‘particular’.
The account makes neuroscience sound more like an art, than it does a science, and goes some way to show why a young medical student might choose it as a specialism. For someone who has a rare neurological condition, it is reassuring to know that the health services of the world still have figures like those revealed in the shape of the author, as he discusses how things went dealing with individual patients who crossed his path, ensuring he documents their lives with as much colour as is possible, without breaching any patient confidentiality.
A beautiful read about a beautiful organ, and a beautiful man.
Common 