Description
Book SynopsisExplores the world of surgeons from their own perspective how they perceive themselves, their work, colleagues, and communities. This book uses the central metaphor of the surgical 'miracle' by illuminating the drama of the operating room, where surgeons and patients alike expect heroic performance.
Trade Review"Joan Cassell's book is fair-minded and unsparing. A meticulous dissection of The Surgeon by an observer whose gaze is as sharp and precise as a scalpel. For me there was a shock of recognition on every page." --Richard Selzer, M.D., Yale Medical School (retired), and author of Mortal Lessons: Notes on the Art of Surgery and Letters to a Young Doctor "The most explicit account I have read about what surgeons do; what their experiences are like; what they are like; what they think about their successes and failures; and what an astonishing variety of experiences of being a surgeon there are. Written with great clarity and considerable grace... I hope this book will become assigned reading for surgeons, surgical residents, medical students with interest in surgery, surgical nurses and technicians, and anyone who has to undergo a surgical procedure. A fine achievement." --Arthur Kleinman, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University "Joan Cassell gives us valuable insight into the mores, the high professional standards--as well as the lapse in and abuse of these standards--and the 'esprit de corps' of the 'fellowship of surgeons.' And she demonstrates that... this sub-profession does indeed form a Fellowship whose culture it is important for every prospective patient to understand." --James W. Fernandez, Professor of Anthropology, University of Chicago
Table of ContentsCast of Characters Preface: Some Words for Social Scientists Acknowledgments Introduction: The Surgical "Miracle" 1. The Art, Craft, and Science of Miracles The Good Surgeon: Colleagues' Evaluations Looking Upward from the Table: A Patient's-Eye View Caring and Healing Can a Bad Person Be a Good Surgeon? 2. The Temperament of Surgeons "Be Ballsy: Do It!" Surgery as Ritual Drama The Price: The "Paranoia" of Surgeons The Price for Patients 3. The Fellowship of Surgeons The Fellowship Informal Learning during Training The Morality Play 4. Costing Out Miracles: The Business of Surgery Three Surgeons in Private Practice An Exemplary Surgeon in a Prepaid Health Plan "Full-Time" Men 5. A Day with a Compassionate Young Surgeon The Day The Burden 6. Let's Go for It! 7. Deadly Surgical Sins Vices of Excess Generative Sins Defects, or Character Flaws Deficiencies Judging Sins 8. It's No Fun Anymore Fun and War Games No Fun "The Disenchantment of the World" The Bureaucratization of Charisma The Erosion of Charisma Horror Stories: The Patient as Enemy 9. Expected Miracles What of Patients? Expecting Miracles Coda: The Research Process Beginnings Access Refused Entree Sample and Methods Notes Glossary Bibliography Index
