Reddit mentions of Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science

Off the top of my head, in no particular order:

The Undercover Economist: Easily the best of those "Economics in everyday life - books"

The Blank Slate: Steven Pinker on the nature/nurture debate. This really opened my eyes on questions like "Why are the same people who fight against abortion for the death penalty", for example.

Complications: This and his second book, Better, gave me an incredible insight into medicine.

Why we get sick: Very good explanation of the defence mechanisms our bodies have and why treating symptoms can be a very bad idea.

How to read a book: An absolute classic. Turns out I've been doing it wrong all those years.

The Art of Strategy: Game Theory, applied to everyday situations. Always treats a topic like Nash equilibrium, Brinkmanship etc. theoretically and then goes into many examples.

A Random Walk Down Wall-Street: Made me see the stock market completely differently.

The Myth of the Rational Voter: The shortcomings of democracy.

The White Man's Burden: Fantastic account of the problems faced by the third world today, and why it is so hard to change them.

MS1 here:

Is she a coffee or tea drinker? If so, there are companies that do some really cool "coffee or tea" of the month deals. I've gone through quite a bit of coffee since I began...

Here are some really awesome books: House of God, Emperor of All Maladies, and Complications to name a few.

I wouldn't recommend getting her a stethoscope/medical supplies because they can be very personal. Sure, they're all roughly the same but it's an instrument you're going to be using for many years to come. "This is my stethoscope. There are many like it but this one is mine..." Just my 2 cents, at least.

I hope that helps! If I come up with any others, I'll post them here.

Complications is worth your time. I am currently reading Mountains Beyond Mountains and really enjoying it so far.

Yeah, it's a good one. My favorite is probably still Complications by Atul Gawande. I plan on writing my own, someday.

• The spirit catches you and you fall down
  
  
• University of Washington's topics in bioethics page
  
  
• Complications: A surgeon's notes on an imperfect science
  
  

Its likely he just had some bad luck and had interns or new residents working on him. The truth is, just like any other profession people need to learn from experience and will make mistakes, unfortunately in the medical field your mistakes will be on humans. I highly suggest the book Complications if anyones interested in what happens in the real world of surgery.

Atul Gawande - Better, Complications, and checklist manifesto.

Sandeep Jauhar - Intern

Jerome Groopman - How doctor's think

Michael Collins - Hot lights, cold steel and Blue collar, blue scrubs

Samuel Shem - House of God

Brian Eule - Match day

Paul Ruggieri - Confessions of a surgeon

Emily R. Transue - On call

Okay so I was in the same position you are in right now. I wanted to read as much as I could because I truly found it fascinating. I read these books and I'm glad I did. These books just give you an idea of how hard doctors work and what the life of a doctor is like. Another recommendation is Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. It has nothing to do with medicine but I read it and I think you should too. He talks about the life of a chef and how perfection and long long hours are demanded of him. I feel like there are some overlaps between the different settings. Chef/doctor and Restaurant/hospital. Anyways, This list should last you a long time. Hope you enjoy.


Edit: Added links.

Try to get a job/internship at a hospital/clinic, just so you can see what it is like and you can talk to people who work in the medical profession.

Speaking from second-hand knowledge as someone who has a sibling that is a doctor--it is an insane amount of work, but if you can make it through, you will command tons of respect, have almost no problems with job security, and will make good money. If you start working hard now, you will have an easier time in the future.

Also, try immersing yourself in the subject by reading books about medicine (not just text-books about medicine.) Try to find this book at your local library. Aside from being about medicine, it's also just good writing.

Some good non-fiction from various categories:

• Survival of the Sickest, about how some diseases once yielded an evolutionary benefit. Some questionable leaps, but interesting nonetheless.
  
• Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, about emergency room medicine, hospital reforms, and surgeons in general.
  
• Poor People, a much heavier read, but an interesting overview of the "types" of poverty and how it relates to the history and government of each area visited.
  
• Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, about the many uses of the body after death; humor writing mixed with scientific investigation.

Btw, anyone who thought this article was interesting should read Complications by Atwul Gawande. It's hard to put down once you start and is like a penny on amazon.

The Hot Zone if you are looking for something factual.

If you want a fiction based in facts, then I got nothing for you.

If you want an exploration into the minds of doctors and health professionals, then I recommend Complications.

Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance

Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science

Both by Atul Gawande.

I've read Complications kinda like a modern day version of your book kinda, it had some horrible stories in it too but the idea was that we could obviously take steps to do a little better, like not amputating the wrong leg or something.

I appreciate that btw I'll have to get it.