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One Doctor: Close Calls, Cold Cases, and the…
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One Doctor: Close Calls, Cold Cases, and the Mysteries of Medicine (edition 2013)

by Brendan Reilly MD

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12310220,536 (4.19)14
An epic story told by a unique voice in Ameri­can medicine, One Doctor describes life-changing experiences in the career of a distinguished physi­cian. In riveting first-person prose, Dr. Brendan Reilly takes us to the front lines of medicine today. Whipsawed by daily crises and frustra­tions, Reilly must deal with several daunting challenges simultaneously: the extraordinary patients under his care on the teeming wards of a renowned teaching hospital; the life-threatening illnesses of both of his ninety-year-old parents; and the tragic memory of a cold case from long ago that haunts him still. As Reilly's patients and their families survive close calls, struggle with heartrending decisions, and confront the limits of medicine's power to cure, One Doctor lays bare a fragmented, depersonal­ized, business-driven health-care system where real caring is hard to find. Every day, Reilly sees patients who fall through the cracks and suffer harm because they lack one doctor who knows them well and relentlessly advocates for their best interests. Filled with fascinating characters in New York City and rural New England-people with dark secrets, mysterious illnesses, impos­sible dreams, and many kinds of courage-One Doctor tells their stories with sensitivity and empathy, reminding us of professional values once held dear by all physicians. But medicine has changed enormously during Reilly's career, for both better and worse, and One Doctor is a cautionary tale about those changes. It is also a hopeful, inspiring account of medicine's poten­tial to improve people's lives, Reilly's quest to understand the 'truth' about doctoring, and a moving testament to the difference one doct… (more)
Member:MsNick
Title:One Doctor: Close Calls, Cold Cases, and the Mysteries of Medicine
Authors:Brendan Reilly MD
Info:Atria Books (2013), Hardcover, 464 pages
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One Doctor: Close Calls, Cold Cases, and the Mysteries of Medicine by Brendan Reilly MD

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» See also 14 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 10 (next | show all)
A very personal account written by an "old-fashioned" doctor who takes us into his world (both personal and professional). Dr. Reilly explains a lot about the state of the healthcare system and what works and what really could be improved. ( )
  yukon92 | Mar 6, 2022 |
Slice of life story by a doctor involved in taking care of very sick patients at a major NYC hospital. Reilly contrasts this with the historical model in which a doctor followed a patient both in and out of the hospital, in sickness and in health, thus gaining vital information that can affect diagnosis and treatment (and cause really bad results when it’s absent). I enjoyed his stories and reflections on the flaws that the benefits of modern medicine and the profit motive have generated. ( )
  rivkat | Sep 14, 2018 |
Brendan Reilly an internist with 40 years of experience practicing medicine divides this memoir into three sections, Now, Then, and Now. In the two Now sections he discusses in real time from his personal view point, his experiences on call in New York City Hospital over a couple of days (the second Now section taking place a few weeks after the first). While dealing with seriously ill patients, and trying to diagnose patients with mystery conditions, he must also deal with his elderly parents who are facing end of life decisions themselves, his father blind and in the terminal phase of bladder cancer, his mother suffering dementia with a heart that is slowing down. In the Then section, Reilly discusses some of his experiences when he first began to practice medicine making house calls in rural Vermont. He focuses on a husband and wife whose diagnoses and treatments he is still second-guessing himself about all these years later. I loved the stories of the process he goes through in arriving at a diagnosis. His pacing is perfect, and many of his experiences read like a medical mystery.

Interspersed with his personal stories are discussions of many of the historical, ethical, financial, and other issues facing the practice of medicine. One overriding point I took from the book is that many people today who think they have adequate health care don't have "one doctor" in overall charge of their health care. Despite health care becoming more and more complex, there is frequently no continuity of care, as various specialist handle only their specialty. This can also raise problems since many hospitals today rely on hospitalists, and our primary care doctors do not provide in-hospital care to their patients. There is sometimes a lack of communication such that hospitalists sometimes have to diagnose and treat in a vacuum.

Another thing I learned from this book is that there are many, many things I never knew about that can kill you as you get older. Oh Well.

Recommended.

3 1/2 stars ( )
  arubabookwoman | Jan 22, 2018 |
A throwback philosophy to the times when Doctors made house calls, and KNEW their patients. Reilly makes the case that Doctors today could do a much better job of tending to their patients' needs if they could take the time to actually follow their patients' lives.

Reilly is on staff at a large metropolitan hospital, and we follow him on his rounds. But, as he visits the various patients, he inserts his thoughts about the larger issues in medicine today.

Immensely readable. I recommend this to everyone ( )
  ElizabethLynnPrice | May 27, 2016 |
I really liked ths book. Dr. Reilly is an experienced, thoughful, and intelligent physician. He allows us to see into his occupation and his head. After he discusses his cases he provides his thoughts on policy and present practice. I learned alot about how medical doctors think and about their jobs. This also helped me to see my role as a decision maker regarding the care appropriate for myself and my relatives. ( )
  GlennBell | Feb 14, 2016 |
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An epic story told by a unique voice in Ameri­can medicine, One Doctor describes life-changing experiences in the career of a distinguished physi­cian. In riveting first-person prose, Dr. Brendan Reilly takes us to the front lines of medicine today. Whipsawed by daily crises and frustra­tions, Reilly must deal with several daunting challenges simultaneously: the extraordinary patients under his care on the teeming wards of a renowned teaching hospital; the life-threatening illnesses of both of his ninety-year-old parents; and the tragic memory of a cold case from long ago that haunts him still. As Reilly's patients and their families survive close calls, struggle with heartrending decisions, and confront the limits of medicine's power to cure, One Doctor lays bare a fragmented, depersonal­ized, business-driven health-care system where real caring is hard to find. Every day, Reilly sees patients who fall through the cracks and suffer harm because they lack one doctor who knows them well and relentlessly advocates for their best interests. Filled with fascinating characters in New York City and rural New England-people with dark secrets, mysterious illnesses, impos­sible dreams, and many kinds of courage-One Doctor tells their stories with sensitivity and empathy, reminding us of professional values once held dear by all physicians. But medicine has changed enormously during Reilly's career, for both better and worse, and One Doctor is a cautionary tale about those changes. It is also a hopeful, inspiring account of medicine's poten­tial to improve people's lives, Reilly's quest to understand the 'truth' about doctoring, and a moving testament to the difference one doct

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