The Uncertain Art by Sherwin B. Nuland

I first heard about Sherwin B. Nuland's The Uncertain Art: Thoughts on a Life in Medicine through the New York Times Book Review -- Barry Gewen’s “A Doctor Finds Miracles in Medicine” published June 6, 2008.

The book consists entirely of essays publishes in The American Scholar between 1998 and 2004.

This book is really quite special. Nuland's post-9/11 essay and his thoughts on his heart transplant candidate friend are especially poignant. His essay on our species' obsession with poop was humorous. His writings on acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and the mind-body relationship are insightful. And every essay was thoughtful and educational.

I may even purchase a copy of this book, since I read one from the library.

Here's the Table of Contents:

Author's Note  xi
Prooemium: An Introduction to My Book  xiii

The Whole Law of Medicine  3
Narcissus Looks Into the Laboratory  12
The Medical School and the University  20
The True Healers  28
Pumping Iron  35
Acupuncture in the Operating Room  42
Chinese Medicine, Western Medicine, and Acupuncture  50
The Misty Crystal Ball  59
Hidden Meanings  67
Is There a Doctor in the House?  75
Writing  83
Robbing Graves  91
Mind, Body, and the Doctor  99
The Great Books  108
Grief and Reflection: After 9/11  116
Lightning on My Mind  123
Scatological Medicine  132
Hippocrates Redux  140
The Artist and the Doctor  148
The Man or the Moment?  157
Letters From a Heart Transplant Candidate  165

Acknowledgments  187
Index  189

Click here to read an excerpt. Enjoy!