The House of God by Samuel Shem
Synopsis: At once hilarious and brutally honest, this novel reaches beyond the white lab coat and reveals what doctors, nurses, and students actually endure. The House of God has done for medicine what M*A*S*H did for warfare.
Published: August 1978 | ISBN-13: 978-0425238097
The House of God is a satirical novel by Samuel Shem (a pseudonym used by psychiatrist Stephen Bergman), published in 1978. The novel follows a group of medical interns at a fictionalized version of Beth Israel Hospital over the course of a year in the early 1970s, focusing on the psychological harm and dehumanization caused by their residency training. The book, described by the New York Times as “raunchy, troubling and hilarious”, was viewed as scandalous at the time of its publication, but acquired a cult following and ultimately came to be regarded as a touchstone in the evolving discussion of humanism, ethics, and training in medicine. – Wikipedia
Author’s Homepage: http://www.samuelshem.com
This book, which is loosely based on Shem’s own internship at Beth Israel Medical Center, is required reading for all medical professionals, mostly because of its irreverence and the quick introduction to medical terms you will not learn in medical school, like “GOMER” and “sieve.” – from 10 Great Books on Medicine
New York Times Book Review
Life in the Fastlane Book Review
New England Journal of Medicine Book Review
Dear Author Book Review
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