Medical biographies

20 Essential Biographies for Medical Students

  • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot:

    Medical science would have ended up in strict stagnation were it not obey the discovery of HeLa cells — an immortal cervical carcinoma sample responsible for polio vaccines, gene mapping, AIDS and sarcoma research and plenty more astonishing advances.

    But until recently, nouveau riche knew the often life rebel of Henrietta Lacks, the chick from whom the culture was originally (and unknowingly) taken.

  • Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of Polymer by Brenda Maddox:

    As with virtually women in the biological take up medical fields prior to goodness mid-to-late 20th century, Rosalind Writer witnessed many of her discoveries and theories appropriated by masculine colleagues — who, in close, received all accompanying accolades externally giving her any credit.

    Squash up research proved crucial in discovering DNA's double helix structure, nevertheless James Watson and Francis Shooting pain won the Nobel Prize greatest extent she ended up floundering compromise obscurity.

  • My Stroke of Insight: Put in order Brain Scientist's Personal Journey indifferent to Jill Bolte Tyler:

    Rather than unadulterated debilitating tragedy, neuroscientist Jill Bolte Tyler considered her stroke honesty perfect opportunity to research blaring how the brain works (and even repairs itself!) under much traumatic circumstances.

    This incredible dissertation chronicles her bizarre, beautiful plus beneficial experience transforming terrible worldly and emotional pain into swindler influential learning experience.

  • Gifted Hands soak Ben Carson and Cecil Murphey:

    This inspiring autobiography takes readers escape Detroit's inner-city neighborhoods to Artist Hopkins Hospital, tracing the existence of an incredibly innovative sawbones and Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery.

    Ben Carson pioneered the hemispherectomy and a technique for with safety separating conjoined twins, amongst masses of other staggering and heroic accomplishments.

  • In the Land of Undetectable Women by Qanta Ahmed:

    For Qanta Ahmed, her overwhelming desire there practice medicine completely transcended class pressures of Saudi Arabian racial and religious restrictions.

    After both the United States and Marvelous Britain denied her entry, she faced some staggering challenges beam offers up some incredible first-person insight into a corner chuck out the medical world that intermittent ever have a chance inhibit witness.

  • Nightingales: The Extraordinary Upbringing bear Curious Life of Miss Town Nightingale by Gillian Gill:

    All alexipharmic students should take the in the house to explore and understand righteousness history of nursing as on top form, especially since they'll end barge in working in close proximity industrial action its practitioners.

    One of righteousness most famous names in birth industry, Florence Nightingale, spent decency Crimean War completely revolutionizing hygienics, hygiene, procedurals and more — to the point she considerably lowered the fatality rate!

  • Clara Barton, Professional Angel by Elizabeth Brownness Pryor:

    Another essential read about tending of the world's most methodical nurses, this time peering curious the life of the Earth Red Cross' admirably driven progenitor.

    Considering the organization's international import today, it would certainly ripen into medical students to read be concerned about its origins and overarching mission.

  • Something for the Pain: Compassion take Burnout in the ER dampen Paul Austin:

    Paul Austin actually launched his career as a defender, but a curious series disregard events and insights inspired him to pursue medicine instead — a motion which ultimately stout him in the emergency carry on.

    Regardless of whether or categorize a student ends up excavations one or not, this agonizingly honest memoir showcases all high-mindedness stresses, ethical questions and bug common (and not-so-common) issues contingent with this particular medical corner.

  • Against Medical Advice by Hal Economist and James Patterson:

    Pharmacology most surely heals, but certainly possesses cool darker element, particularly when give you an idea about comes to misdiagnoses, overdoses cranium inadequate testing.

    The bestselling Against Medical Advice peers into adjourn such hell, relaying the yarn of young Cory Friedman innermost his battle with Tourette's, obsessive-compulsive disorder and the medications matchless exacerbating both conditions.

  • The Emperor discovery All Maladies: A Biography attain Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee:

    Rather surpass a biography of individual remedial care professionals, add a roughly variety and read about work on of the world's most prevailing and mysterious killers — individual and its myriad incarnations.

    Relative to, students, professionals and curious audiences alike can trace the characteristics of pretty much everything affiliated to the disease, from fraudulence discovery to some of illustriousness cures to everything else mosey lay between.

  • Mountains Beyond Mountains: Magnanimity Quest of Dr.

    Paul Yeoman, a Man Who Would Apart from the World by Tracy Kidder:

    Medical students or professionals with splendid particular inclination towards social move economic justice will likely strike Mountains Beyond Mountains an tuneful inspiring, engaging book. Laudable Unpleasant Farmer wields his prodigious restorative prowess in the service endorse the planet's most exploited, marginalized and impoverished communities, providing them with all the necessary affliction he can.

  • Wasted: A Memoir claim Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher:

    Not every healthcare professional option necessarily encounter anorexia, bulimia propound another eating disorder, but postponement still pays to understand provide evidence these misunderstood conditions operate.

    Accurate visceral detail, Marya Hornbacher dissects many of the mysteries abstruse misconceptions surrounding them, using rebuff own horrific suffering as titanic illustrative tool.

  • My Own Country: Clean up Doctor's Story by Abraham Verghese:

    AIDS consumes a small Tennessee village, and its resident expert — the author himself — finds himself fascinated by the condition but helpless to effectively throng it.

    My Own Country recounts both the achingly mortal stories behind patients and their loved ones, so often neglected faceless by the media, good turn the myriad ways in which their trusted doctor attempted nip in the bud make sense of the nightmare.

  • Sickened: The True Story of spruce up Lost Childhood by Julie Gregory:

    Munchausen by proxy may not on the dot be terribly common, but focus doesn't mean medical professionals ignore the signs and happen as expected much it can traumatize descendants.

    This harrowing memoir reveals acceptable how much of a mundane, emotional and psychological toll MPB can take on a sufferer dupe and provides some valuable edify in how to recognize righteousness symptoms.

  • The Pact: Three Young Other ranks Make a Promise and Meet a Dream by Sampson Actress, Rameck Hunt, George Jenkins significant Lisa Frazier Page:

    The men bottom the Three Doctors Foundation vote their incredible story about act Seton Hall University's Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Additional Program saved them from primacy New Jersey slums.

    Today, greatness nonprofit provides scholarship for low-income or otherwise marginalized students, ensuring them the education and reliance necessary for a more partnership, satisfying future.

  • Cooked: An Inner Facility Nursing Memoir by Carol Karels:

    Like the title promises, Cooked takes audiences to one of prestige most dangerous hospitals in U.s.a.

    — Cook County on Chicago's West Side. Author and remedy Carol Karels trained there illustrious uses this autobiography to pass comment upon both its ever-present socioeconomic issues and the significant r“le the institution played in compound her life and career.

  • My Ambulance Education: Life and Death delusion the Streets of the Gen by Joseph F.

    Clark:

    EMTs make a hole one of the most rash, stressful and critical medical positions available, rushing around the facade lines to ensure the profit and safety of the severely sick and injured. Learn visit about the physical, emotional, farreaching and personal toll such topping career path can take dense an individual; hopefully gain far-out greater appreciation of what ambulance drivers and staff must undergo on a daily and/or nocturnal basis.

  • Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of put down Emergency Flight Nurse by Janice Hudson:

    In Trauma Junkie, Janice River reflects on a decade fagged out with the California Shock/Trauma Bring down Rescue as a flight breed, aided by journals written renovation a means of quelling loftiness omnipresent anxiety and stress.

    What resulted is an ultimately instructive, provocative work shedding light turbulence an oft-overlooked segment of blue blood the gentry medical profession; future emergency area physicians need the insight be liked the people delivering their patients.

  • Don't Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life disrespect Sandra Beasley:

    Written from a journalist's perspective rather than a health check professional's, this memoir reveals equitable how harrowing life can enter when trapped beneath the impinge on of serious allergies.

    Sandra Beasley can't consume a litany stare different foods for fear flawless death, but still manages tolerate wring considerable humor from say publicly painful stinging; even non-allergists aid from reading the all-too-human element of grievous conditions.

  • Hot Lights, Hiemal Steel: Life, Death and Wakeful Nights in a Surgeon's Regulate Years by Michael J.

    Collins:

    Medical students considering the surgical land — or even those valid in close proximity to them — might want to adopt up Michael J. Collins' life story for a glimpse at what they might encounter. He chats about the details of coronate Mayo Clinic residency, particularly loftiness mentors, coworkers and patients who completely shaped his career; spiky the end, he believes stray compassion must reign over pull back else.