Lynn Payer

I read this book just after it was published 25 years ago, but had the East Detroit Library copy. I have remembered a number of quotes from this book, and decided to search for it on Long Island and found it at the Rockville Centre Library.

It compares medical practice in The United States, England, Germany and France, with occasional references to other counties. In France people frequently complain of their liver, the so-called crise de foie, which virtually no one else has, and may really be a migraine headache.

Tightly sewn numerous stitches for any injury frequently point to a Belgian surgeon, who is paid by the number of stitches. Germans are known to treat for Herzinsuffizienz (heart insufficiency) where other countries would see only a slight diagnosis. Britains value economy with smaller dosages and shorter doctor office visits. Americans see viruses everywhere.

A fun, but perceptive read.… (more)