Full Time Doctors an Endangered Species

By William H. Whitmore

The Title of my book, 'FULL TIME DOCTORS AN ENDANGERED SPECIES: All Physician MD's Are Now Specialists, ' while very valid, is perhaps somewhat misleading to some for the following reasons: It is a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1598866060
• ISBN13: 9781598866063
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: Tate Publishing & Enterprises
• Length: 306 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A "Must Read" for patients and their physicians!

Physicians and health professionals, regardless of their areas of expertise, will undoubtedly benefit from the medical experiences and opinions that Dr. William H. Whitmore portrays so effectively in his book entitled Full Time Doctors An Endangered Species. He acknowledges that before the birth of "specialists," physicians with less experience would seek help from older, wiser, and more experienced colleagues if they could not deal with a specific problem. After thirty-five years as a General Practitioner where he treated patients wholly, doing minor surgeries, delivering babies, and diagnosing health problems, the author retired due to some serious health problems. The period of time during which he and many others practiced medicine is often referred to as the "Golden Years." Although, there continues to be wonderful advances in science and medicine, this era that he refers to is over. The author reminds readers that too many doctors just "don't do windows," and instead of treating individuals in their offices for conditions that they are quite capable of handling, they often choose to refer patients to one or more specialists. Dr. Whitmore describes the changes that have progressively taken place throughout the years in regard to how and where physicians are trained and how and where patients receive medical care. With such evolution, some changes, such as the advances in technology are exciting; however, others convey a personal sense of loss. Because my doctors don't do windows, I have been referred to specialist after specialist for various health problems, and since none of these physicians truly knew my entire medical history--or me--there have been some negative results. Even though I am not a physician, I found many of the medical cases that Dr. Whitmore writes about to be fascinating. Reading how he solved medical puzzles was entertaining, educational and personally reassuring. He honestly states that he "learned" the art of practicing medicine and, just as he sought advice from more experienced physicians in his early years of practice, he was soon sharing his insight and experience with newer generations of physicians. In writing Full Time Doctors An Endangered Species, he continues to do this, offering life-saving lessons and his own unique medical experiences that need to be passed on to today's medical students. This book is a valuable resource that, in my opinion, should be required reading for students who wants the benefits of Dr. Whitmore's years of "learned expertise" before they even began the art of practicing medicine. Whether reading how the author assisted physicians in diagnosing members of his own family, participated in some rather unusual autopsies, showed examples of effective "old time" remedies, communicated with patients as he diagnosed their conditions, dealt with rare diseases and infections, described how one patient was scared to death, reminisced about former employees, shared stories of me

Endangered Species Indeed

A 50 year history of the development of the Medical Specialist, and the role of the General Practitioner of Medicine, from the experience of an 80 year old Physician MD, who has continued his medical education, and has maintained his license to practice. Details of the practice of medicine in Norfolk, Virginia, including the major hospitals and many prominent MD's. The chapters are diversified dealing with the Art and Practice of Medicine, emphasizing how experience creates the very best Physicians. Educational to pre-med and medical students, as well as graduate MDs, and yet is written so that a lay person can easily comprehend. It's all non-fiction with chapters on fascinating, rare, complex, or very interesting medical cases, many of which remain relevant in the practice of medicine today. Dr. Whitmore expresses opinions and beliefs based on his experience as a classic MD, who made "house calls", a concept all but eliminated by the norms of medical practices today. The chapter on "Allergy To What?" illustrates that only by making a house call can physicians discover the problem allergen. There are chapters on humor, and a beautiful love story entitled "My Wife", all making for a comfortable arm chair read, and a wonderful tribute to the practice of medicine by M.D.'s who could take the time to get personal and involved with their patients.