Picador Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery

as a potential medical student, this book is highly advisable to those who seek interest in medical related issues, more specifically neurosurgery. love this book

I picked up this book on the basis of a brief review by a blogger I follow. This sort of read isn't my normal fare, but the subject was interesting, and as I got into the book, the narrative was quite engaging. Like anyone in their fifties, most of us have a fair bit of experience as a consumer of medical services, and I started the book with a certain level of smug understanding of what I might expect of a physicians narrative of his work. After finishing the book, I would like to believe that I learned quite a bit of the human element of practicing in this particular specialty of medicine. The word profound comes to mind when I try to express my personal reaction to the book, but in a way this sounds a bit dramatic. Without knowing who might be reading this review, it is hard to pass along a recommendation, but I will do so anyway. I very much enjoyed Mr Marsh's writing style, the way the subject was presented, and found the topic and narrative both very engaging and at times, intense to the point I had to put the book down and come back to it the next day. If you have the stomach for the subject, this is one book you would not willingly miss reading. I found myself spending time after having read it, learning about Mr Marsh, about his work, and viewing some of his interviews available on Youtube. Seems very much like a fellow I would like to have known personally.

An extraordinary and moving account of the successes and failures of a noted brain surgeon. Full of humanity and (even rarer in the medical profession) humility. Mr Marsh is to be congratulated and thanked for an outstanding account of an outstanding career.

good read! powerful!

Excellent. Catches the nervousness and excellence of the branch at the same time

When I was 15 or so, I read a book summary in a Reader's Digest magazin the real-life account of a neurosurgeon. I was really impressed and for a while seriously considered becoming a neurosurgeon myself. That was a marvelous account of the marvelous functionning of the brain and how, sometimes, a surgeon can help a patient recover his life from a potentially terrible future. Henry Marsh's book has all the same "technical" wonder in his recit, but adds his incredible human touch to it. You really feel as if you were to his side in all these cases and stories. This book has brought me close to tears in several occasions and to examine my own mortality. He is incredibly honest about his limitations as a surgeon and as a human being but you can also see the reality of his passion for this field and his sincere desire to help his patients, all from a very believable, no super-hero, human being. After reading this book I can see in another light how fortunate I am and I am thankful it made me appreciate life much more. I can only highly recommend it. One of the best books I ever read.