Kill as Few Patients as Possible: And 56 Other Essays on How to Be the World's Best Doctor

by Oscar London and Oca London

Book Overview

This oft-quoted all-time favorite of the medical community will gladden--and strengthen--the hearts of patients, doctors, and anyone entering medical study, internship, or practice. With unassailable... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 089815197X
• ISBN13: 9780898151978
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press
• Length: 102 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Laughter is the best medicine

From the first essay, "Be Jewish," Doctor London's book "Kill as Few Patients as Possible: And Fifty-Six Other Essays on How to Be the World's Best Doctor" will surely keep you laughing. If you don't laugh at some point during this rather short book, there is little hope for you as either you have no sense of humour at all (which should be considered a medical emergency) or you have somehow been blessed to never experience a doctors office. I've often been told that my funny bone was likely removed at birth because I don't find many things funny, but I cannot tell you how many times I had to pause to bite my lower lip to keep from laughing so hard that I would wake the house. Every few pages, I would stop look at my significant other, read a few lines outloud from the book inbetween laughter, and watch his eyes roll as he tried to stop himself from laughing. Oh and "Doc" London, if you are reading this, you forgot one essay that you should have included. "Laughter is the best medicine." I'm sure if there is any truth to that, you will be curing more than a few people who read this book. And yes, I know, don't call you Doc.

Work Hard, Laugh Hard

Face it folks, anyone in the field of medicine works far too hard to loose their sense of humor! Its dangerous for your health. I will be the first to admit that my sense of humor has always tended more towards satire and pun than crack-falls, and this book serves it up! I even liked it enough to buy another copy as a gift. I definatly reccomend this book for anyone looking for a few laughs in a hard-working profession.

Humor for doctors and those who would understand them

Having practiced medicine for longer than I'll admit, my sense of humor may no longer be entirely standard. London combines his love of people and hard-learned lessons of practice to produce these essays, fortunately of a length much shorter than Charles Lamb's. These transparently written essays may explain otherwise in-explicable physician behavior. "My daughter told the doctor she knew she wasn't pregnant, but he did a pregnancy test anyway." "My back hurts, and all my other doctors give me narcotics, but Dr London didn't." Other stories of his approach to back pain, stomach pain, etc, may make you wish he were your own doctor. Don't expect him to expose the foibles of his patients; his sharpest barbs are aimed at himself and his colleagues. I keep this on my bookshelf and always enjoy taking it down for a short browsing.

Good for What Ails You

If only more doctors could be like Dr. London...A healthy dose of humor and a heartful of compassion. He tells his stories from his side of the bedside (so to speak...)taking you inside the profession - and not taking himself to seriously. Yet, you always know that he takes caring for his patients quite seriously. Dr. London's unique, frank, intelligently funny anecdotes are even funnier when read outloud. His book should be required reading for all med students. He's not afraid to demystify the mysterious world of medicine, reminding us we are all frail humans and the more we laugh through life, the better -and that includes laughing at ourselves.

Good advice and a great laugh

If you're looking for the perfect gift for the newly med grad, this is certainly it!! You can't put down this book; you start off smiling and you soon end up laughing so hard that if you read it at night you'll probably wake up everybody. Although patients might get a few laughs as well, the book is really meant for doctors and each of the 57 rules to live by are absolutely true. London (a pseudonym), himself an M.D. and self-appointed W.B.D. (world's best doctor), is a seasoned writer and delivers good advice for the rocky road of medicine. I reread it whenever things get tough and I always feel refreshed. Excellent book!!