“But by the neglect of the studies of the humanities, which has been far too general, the profession loses a very precious commodity…There are at least a dozen or more works which would be helpful in getting wisdom in life which comes only to those who earnestly seek it.”
Sir William Osler – Counsels and Ideals From the Writings of William Osler & Selected Aphorisms. The Classics of Medicine Library. Birmingham, AL: Gryphon Editions Ltd; 1985.
In earlier editorials, I noted that for me one of life’s pleasures involves reading.1, 2 Like Osler, quoted above, I believe that to be an excellent physician, a deep understanding of the human condition is required, something that can be learned by reading widely in the humanities. This is one of the reasons that the Journal in recent years has included a Medical Humanities section.
These days, I start my mornings by sitting for an hour on my exercise bicycle. This would be too boring if I just sat there staring into space; a book on my electronic reader enhances the experience. (Of course, I finish reviewing my professional journals before starting my pleasure reading.) Below I have listed my favorite books and authors over recent years with some brief commentary concerning the content of these works.
2.Another nonfiction writer that I thoroughly enjoy is Jared Diamond. I particularly enjoyed Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies7 and one of his latest books detailing why and how societies succeed or fail to endure, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.8
This article was originally published on our website.
This article originally appeared in the February 2014 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
