carolina-cestmoi

I thought it was really cool when I read the description of Collins on the back flap and saw that he has 12 children. He’s Irish Catholic, I guess, but he doesn’t come across as the least bit religious in the book. I think he and his wife don’t have so many children for religious reasons so much as because they just love having children. In any case, this description of the four years of orthopedic surgery residency at the Mayo Clinic is awesome. It’s very engrossing, with lots of medical details and patient stories. The insights Dr. Collins has about human life and mortality are interesting, but not the best part of the book. He’s very good at describing scenes and engaging the reader in what’s happening. One thing I could never get over was how after treating so many people for injuries sustained from accidents while driving drunk, even a few people who are mentioned as not having blood alcohol levels above the legal limit but still being impaired, Dr. Collins and his fellow residents continue to go out and drink and then drive home. Overall this is a really excellent book. I read it all in one night – couldn’t put it down.

2022-11-14 16:17