5 comments about Condition Critical.

1. So far this is the only book that I have read by Heron but its indeed the best picture of the critical care nurse's work life. Incompetent physicians, critical patients, demanding families, lazy co-workers, and of course the constant surprises, are all highlighted in hilarious quips. I love how Heron makes nursing sound as challenging as it is. I have been working critical care for only a short time but its amazing the power that your knowledge has over determining a person's outcome. Heron highlights different scenarios and what interventions she had to do to make sure that the patient's condition improved. She is an extraordinary nurse and an excellent author. This book would rattle many would be nurses, while getting an appreciative nod from experienced ones. Its a great book and Heron should be proud of this work. It really shows people how hard nurses work and that there is a lot of compassion in this field.



2. This book is great. It really gives a very accurate portryal of what a "real nurse" is and does. A great addition to any nurses book collection that you should read over and over again throughout your nursing career. We all can relate to her tales of a typical shift.



3. I found the book entertaining, because like Heron, I used to work as a nurse and am now a full time writer. I also lived and worked in the Bay Area, and know the hospital that she writes about. However, Heron seems to find enough people to lash out at, but she seldom mentions that nurses are their own worst enemies. Nurses rarely if ever stand up for themselves, they are great at complaining among themselves but when it comes to doing something about a problem--well, nobody wants to rock the boat. Nurses are great at backstabbing, they don't stick together--in short, nurses are treated without disrespect by doctors and hospital administrators because they tolerate it without a peep. So it always bugs me when high and mighty nurses complain about everyone under the sun except themselves. As for Heron's writing, it is okay but a little melodramatic.



4. I loved Intensive Care and was thrilled to see Echo Heron's continuing story. The first two-thirds of the book had tales just as good, if not better, than the stories in her first book. However, her burnout and departure from nursing was an abrupt and sad ending. I hope that Ms. Heron has since reconsidered leaving the profession because it is obvious that she is a nurse with much to give. Though hospitals will never be perfect employers, there are many that are far better than "Redwoods Memorial" and I was disappointed that she did not try working somewhere else rather than giving up in disgust and despair. That said, I hope that laypeople as well as medical professionals read this book and see the things that are happening in medicine today that are driving so many excellent nurses out of the profession. Perhaps if enough people recognize the value of the contribution nurses make to medicine they can pressure hospitals into doing everything they can to recruit and retain the truly gifted ones like Echo Heron.



5. This review comes from a non-reader. I read only if it keeps me reading. I read Intensive Care after a co-worker had given it to me and found a common bond with Echo Heron having been there myself. I bought Condition Critical when it first came out and she did it again. I left a hospital after the "assistants" came to help with our staffing problems. In this book, she tells it like it is and stands up for nursing--I wish she was still nursing and writing. We need nurses who can say what needs to be said and let the public know what's going on. All her books are entertaining and the real life one's are so funny, many a time I was laughing out loud!!

5 comments about Emergency Doctor.

1. I found the stories bland and the facts skewed. The book seemed to have a strange moral slant which sacrificed its credibility. It also seemed poorly researched as the stories were incomplete, and the statistics were without footnotes.
   I would recommend this book as fiction to a twelve-year old from the suburbs who isn't allowed to watch the news.



2. I bought this book because Goldfrank is one of the living godfathers of clinical toxicology and Bellevue is one of the top EM training programs in the country. I returned this book after 40 pages because, as someone training to be an EM doc, I found the material tedious, clumsy, and, frankly... boring. For me, the ED vignette from The House of God was much more insightful and striking. I can't comment from a lay perspective.



3. This book was mainly a teaching tool about the hospital noted int the title. Not a memoir about the life of an Emergency Room Doctor. Granted I did learn some new things, however if you have any medical training it is the same as what you were taught in classes.



4. I like medical novels and found this one a really good read. Good beach book.



5. A very enjoyable, quick read. What struck me the most about this book was the differences in perspective since the time of it's writing (1987)--it mentions patients that complain about doctors wearing gloves when that is now standard, and expected, procedure. It describes the infancy of managed care and all it's depersonalization of those it's supposed to protect and care for. And most of all, it describes doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff who always put the patient first, who see their jobs as noble and go about it completely humble and without ego. Perhaps exposure to such tv shows as ER and Chicago Hope in more recent years have given laymen a more cold/cynical view of things, but some times the professionals in this book seem almost too good to be true. On the other hand, the emergencies described are fascinating and compelling.

5 comments about More, Now, Again: A Memoir of Addiction.

1. If a book can be written in "real time," this one was. There isn't really any direction: It is simply a download written in whatever order things happened to occur. Actually, I liked this book; I thought Elizabeth Wurtzel had something to say, and she did a good job of getting her thoughts down in writing. However, I would be slow to recommend More, Now, Again to anybody else. I do not think it is a book that would appeal very much to the majority of people.



2. I have read this book about twenty times and love it as much each new read as I did the first time. Elizabeth is a phenominal writer and takes a person to the depths of addiction, through her dispair, and pain, and brings you back to her normalicy which is only normal in the way an addicts life can be. You feel her misery and hold your breath with each twist her story brings. I'm too tired to write a longer review or I would. Just read it and you'll understand what an addicted woman goes though when she's in the trenches and how hard it is to get sober no matter what you have. I'm a recovering addict and she told my story minus the Harvard education. Elizabeth is great and so is her book. It's entertaining as hell even if you could care less about addiction.



3. Okay, so at least this was better than "Prozac Nation", but seriously Miss Wurtzel, can we put away the ego and inferiority complex for one minute?
   
   The recount of her slip into addiction was interesting, not Wurtzel's story, but the process of her transitioning into a full-blown addict. The sad part is that once she got clean, I couldn't stand her.
   
   I would recommend borrowing this from the library, but not buying it. It was just okay.



4. First of all, Wurtzel is an excellent writer. More, Now, Again is a memoir of her addiction. So like most memoirs, if you haven't actually lived through similar experiences, you are only getting the story while "attempting" to understand the feelings. Addiction is a very complicated thing, and most likely if you are not an addict yourself, you will not ID with Wurtzel. Now, for those in recovery, this book is a MUST read! It dives into the true desperation and and denial of addiction, and you can feel her pain every step of the way.
   
   I've read many memoirs, especially those of people in recovery. More, Now, Again is top notch, and provides strengh and hope to those who have lived through the dark shadows of drug addiction.
   
   Once again, if you're not an addict and are bashing this book in any way, it's simply because you just cannot understand something as deep as this without living it. Sorry to all you normal people! =D



5. I love the way Elizabeth Wurtzel writes in this book. It's a style that's cocky and self-assured while simultaneously vulnerable and unrelentingly honest about self. I think it details the confliction those of us who tackle the task of learning about our true selves, and how to cope with our behaviors, all go through.

5 comments about The Puzzle People: Memoirs Of A Transplant Surgeon.

1. This book, by transplantation pioneer Dr. Thomas Starzl, is an easy read, a wonderfully inspiring story, and an interesting history of modern surgical medicine. I was compelled to write the review because of several reviews that disparage Dr. Starzl and this book.

   The book is an inspirational story of a young mid-westerner, with no connections or wealth to help him in his journey, who innovated, struggled, competed, succeeded, and eventually became THE transplant surgeon in the world. The reason Pittsburgh is a transplant mecca is that Dr. Starzl is there.

   Now, certainly Dr. Starzl's personality has a reputation that casts him in a negative light - I don't know the man, but I suspect that great succeess also breeds great resentments. Whatever his failings are, his contributions are beyond dispute.

   Dr. Starzl's ability as a surgeon has also been questioned. Again, I have never operated with him, but the success of his transplant program speaks for itself. Also, if his only contribution was to innovate and educate a generation of transplant surgeons, then that by itself would be a fine legacy.

   Finally, some reviews bash the book, so here goes my actual book review:

   The book is an extremely personal account, with all the beauty and failings that are an inherent part of such a personal endeavor. Yes, he settles old scores. Yes, he portrays himself as the greatest man on earth. Yes he does not dwell on important social and ethical issues that confront modern surgery. However, these "problems" with the book are also what makes this book such a wonderful read - it is really like a conversation with a great man. He lets you in on his most secret fears (he hates operating), his most painful memories (his father's health and death, his failed family life, his second wife's history of physical abuse), his greatest triumphs (successful liver transplantations), his greatest failures (failed surgeries, inability to get along with colleagues and superiors in academia, his family/children). This is such a personal account that any other perspective on it completely misses the point. Dr. Starzl pours his heart out, which is what makes this book so interesting.

   I've recently read the autobiography of Francis Moore, the great chair of Surgery at Harvard. It is such a boring book ! It offers nothing personal, nothing intimate, just a dry listing of accomplishments and people who were involved in them. One learns more about Dr. Moore from Dr. Starzl's book than from his own autobiography.

   In conclusion, this is a very captivating account of a personal journey. For all his failings, Dr. Starzl is not afraid to reveal himself, and the result is a compelling and inspirational book that most readers will thoroughly enjoy.




2. Dr. Starzl saves lifes not only with his skills, but with a real heart. A genuine human being.



3. The author disparages several people in this book, including those who are not alive to defend themselves. This reflects more negatively on the author than on the persons he criticizes. Nonetheless, the book is compelling at times, particularly where the author talks about the patients he has helped, or those he has tried to help but who did not survive. The author was and is clearly a major figure in a field which has done much to prolong and improve the lives of many people. If the book accomplishes nothing else, hopefully it will encourage its readers to provide for the donation of their organs after death, or those of their loved ones.



4. Dr Starzl wrote an excellent book of the history of organ transplantation. Without his work in the late 50's many more people would have died. To me he is the real hero. Anyone who can give it a bad review does not live it everyday like my wife and I do. I wish I found it sooner. many thanks Dr. Starzl



5. This has to be one of the most poorly written books I've ever read. There were frequent references to trivial incidents in the author's life (e.g. a surprise 50th birthday party), but there was no overarching sense of the major accomplishments and setbacks in transplant science during the author's illustrious career. By the end of the book, I was left with no sense of the next medical frontiers in transplantation, or the ethical dilemmas they would engender. Starzl would have done far better to coauthor with a journalist, the better to highlight crucial issues and establish context.

   Attacks on old professional enemies and odd turns of phrase about people's ethnic backgrounds were also off-putting. Knowing that Starzl can hold a grudge for decades made me take his chracterizations of even his friends with a few kilograms of salt.

   Starzl may have been a brilliant surgeon, but this book reads more like a personal indulgence meant for a vanity press. A pity that this book isn't the gripping behind-the-scenes tour of the politics and techniques of transplant it was meant to be.

2 comments about Reverence for Life: The Ethics of Albert Schweitzer for the Twenty-First Century.

1. If you've read Dr. Schweitzer's "Reverence for Life", you should enjoy this compilation of letters and papers regarding and reinforcding Schweitzer's ethic. The included writings are authored by everyone from Graduate students to correspondents and Albert Schweitzer himself. Very enjoyable reading.



2. Collaboratively and expertly edited by Marvin Meyer (Griset Professor of Bible and Christian Studies, Chapman University, Orange, California) and Kurt Bergel (Professor Emeritus, Chapman University and founder/co-director of the Chapman University Albert Schweitzer Institute), Reverence for Life: The Ethics Of Albert Schweitzer For The Twenty-First Century is an inherently impressive selection of profound essays by humanitarian Albert Schweitzer, enhanced with an eclectic variety of soul-searching commentaries on his thoughts and recommendations. Among Schweitzer's presented and scrutinized works are sermons, letters, as well as tidbits of his personal autobiography and deep philosophy. Reverence For Life is highly recommended as life-affirming, fundamental and thoughtfully constructed reading.

1 comments about The Unguarded Moment: A Surgeon's Discovery of the Barriers to Prescription of Inexpensive, Effective Healthcare in the Form of Therapeutic Exercise.

1. In an unguarded moment, one can have an accident, a moment of serendipity, an epiphany, or spontaneous healing. Throughout his life, Vert Mooney, M.D. has been lucky in his unguarded moments, usually finding a situation exactly right to further his research into healing painful physical conditions through therapeutic exercise.
   
   In The Unguarded Moment, Dr. Mooney explains why this effective treatment is so limited in general medical care. Readers learn about the concept of IRACS (ignore, ridicule, attack, copy, and steal) as well as the mysterious NHI (not invented here) and how these often keep a brilliant idea from reaching the general public.
   
   With healthcare costs on the rise, pharmaceutical and medical equipment manufacturing companies have their hands deeper and deeper into the pockets of consumers, often with questionable results. When innovative and inexpensive solutions for disease and pain are found, they are often suppressed, at the expense of the patient. The Unguarded Moment provides a jumping-off point for responsible patient-driven healthcare.
   --- from book's back cover

5 comments about King of Hearts: The True Story of the Maverick Who Pioneered Open Heart Surgery.

1. I am a patient that has had heart problems for awhile now. I just had surgery in 2006, so reading this book really helped me to understand where heart surgery all started. It brought it all home for me at the end. There is something about this surgeon that I now have a close connection to, and I didn't even realize it until the end! Those of you who have read "King of Hearts" would understand! This book has taught me a lot, but it also has a lot of great stories intertwined within. Totally worth the read!!



2. The medical history related in this book is one of the boldest and most amazing one. If it wasn't for these highly risk taking individuals, open heart surgery would not be possible today.



3. When a friend gave me this book to read, I thought I'd skim a few chapters and either get bored with the technical details or be bothered by them since I have had heart surgery for congenital heart defects myself.
   
   I thumbed though the first chapter and I was hooked! The writing demonstrates the intensity found in intense pediatric cases very well and uses that and the determination of Dr. Lillehei to move the story along at a fast clip. I finished it in about 36 hours!
   
   I had gotten to the point there I was trying to take care of myself well as an adult with congenital heart disease (treated defects), but I hadn't quite grasped the details of my own surgeries nor did I want to. After I read this book I ordered my surgical records immediately and was excited to read them! The book filled the descriptions of the surgeries with such excitement that it carried over into my own personal education about my health.
   
   I like how they told the story of Dr. Lillehei as a person who did great things, but was also human being as much as his patients - with faults of his own - but also clearly, great gifts.
   
   For more information about the long-term outcome of patients with congenital heart defects/disease and how we continue to lead the longest and healthiest lives possible for us, please visit the Adult Congenital Heart Association's website at www.achaheart.org



4. Once I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down. What a fascinating subject and such wonderful storyteller. From the mom of a "heart baby" it just amazes me how far we've come in such a short amount of time.



5. It's a good story, and Dr. Lillehei blazed an amazing trail, but this man appeared to be a sociopath who destroyed everything and everybody he touched - except, of course, his patients. I can't believe nobody addressed this yet, or maybe they were so fascinated by the story that they missed - or dismissed - it completely. This was more than a massive ego; this guy could have been a Dr. Swango had things been just a wee bit different.
   
   I realize the book was about Dr. C. Walton Lillehei, but his brother Richard was also a transplant surgeon, as are his sons Craig and Kevin.

5 comments about Into the Unknown: The Remarkable Life of Hans Kraus.

1. I was so pleased to see that Dr. Kraus's biography had been published, I bought this book last year, read it in three days and truly enjoyed it. A mix of history, medicine and the joys and dangers of climbing mountains. A lovely account of a memorable, inspiring personality, whose name lives on thanks to his innovative ideas in the medical field and the thousands he cured, including President Kennedy, all the way through his beloved family and friends and, of course, his beloved mountains.
   
   I looked into the points raised by Mr. Franz Kraus, Dr. Kraus's younger brother, as reported in his own review and found them interesting. I felt that, coming from such a close family member, it was only fair to print them and add them to my own copy of the book, to give it a sense of completeness which at first sight did not seem to lack upon finishing the book, however his comments made me think twice about a few facts/details not accurately reported by the author.
   
   In any case, I feel that the missing/incorrect details didn't tarnish the essence of this book and I truly think it is a must-read. Historically and medically interesting, it's also an inspiring, beautiful read, for all of you out there who love the mountains. Enjoy!



2. Book: "Into the Unknown, The Remarkable Life of Hans Kraus" by Susan Schwartz
   copyright 2005
   
   This book is a must read for any bodyworker, physical therapist, orthopedic doctor or mountain climber. Dr. Hans Kraus was a pioneer mountain climber and pioneer bodyworker who is one of our most unknown and unsung twentieth century heroes. He rejected our commonly accepted treatments for musculoskelatal conditions of drugs and surgery for hands on bodywork and exercise. Time Magazine listed him as one of the prominent medical pioneers along with Dr. Salk of the polio vaccine and Edward Jenner of the smallpox vaccine. His contribution to health research was simple and easy. It was bodywork and exercise. He became the Back Doctor to President John Kennedy. When Janet Travell was promoting her trigger point theories she was giving Kennedy trigger point injections with procaine and lidocaine. Kennedy had had two failed back surgeries and this was kept secret. When Travell's treatment stopped working, Hans Kraus was called in. He began doing trigger point injections of saline solution only with big needles. Very similar to what we do with elbows and knuckles. Then he did bodywork, massage and began an exercise program. Kennedy said this was the most benefical program he had ever done. And Kraus had to sign a confidentiality agreement so the press did not find out how injured Kennedy was. The anecdotes in this book are remarkable and professionally notated. Hans noted that Kennedy's back pain got worse when he was home with his wife and mother. He seemed to be able to handle averting World War Three easier than dealing with his family. This is of interest to the Hellerworkers and others trained in dialogue.
   Some of you may remember the Presidential Fitness Program of Kennedy's. This was inspired by Hans Kraus.
   Hans Kraus also put together a series of 6 postural muscle tests that he claimed would predict back pain incidents. These simple exercises could be used as part of a physical exam in just the same way that we do blood tests to predict health conditions. If a person could not touch their toes or hold a sit up for 10 seconds then exercises were prescribed to correct this situation. Hans attempted to get these included in the public school system of New York. The resistance won out. I'll bet the insurance companies today would love to have access to this kind of testing and study. We (Hellerwork) could be the ones to promote this.
   Hans also has some very good techinques for not immobilising, casting or splinting broken or sprained bones. He said and practiced that muscle work and movement was much more efficient to repairing broken bones and sprains.
   The book is an easy read, fun and professionally annotated with a complete bibliography.
   I got reinspired to our work (Hellerwork) and am looking forward to some current research projects we could in this area.
   The book is available in soft or hard cover from Amazon.
   Enjoy.
   
   Dr. Jim Dohn



3. "Into the Unknown" is a compelling read for both the casual reader and for anyone interested in modern presidential history. As a biography of a fascinating character, it is difficult to put down. More significantly it is a 'must' for anyone interested in unravelling the mysteries of President Kennedy's health and the conflicts amongst the crowd of doctors who treated him.



4. What a life Doctor Hans Kraus lived. His climbing and medical accomplishments are amazing and Schwartz has given us a wonderful look into his life. If you are a climber, have back pain, enjoy presidential history, or love a great story you need to read this book.



5. Schwartz has done a fine thing recording this remarkable life. This is a great read for anyone who appreciates the unsung hero. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in biography, the outdoors, and good health.

3 comments about The Third Man of the Double Helix: The Autobiography of Maurice Wilkins.

1. +++++
   
   There is a joke by a famous comedian that asks who the three tenors are. Most people know two of them and the third man is known as "what's his name." The same situation occurs when you ask people who shared the 1962 Noble Prize (in physiology or medicine) for their discovery of the structure of DNA (and other nucleic acid achievements). Most people say, "(Dr.) Watson, (Dr.) Crick, and what's his name."
   
   What's his name is Dr. Maurice Wilkins (1916 to 2004). Most people are unaware that Wilkins was a brilliant physicist (he worked on the Manhattan or Atomic Bomb Project during World War Two) and later on was a biophysicist whose contribution was essential for discovering DNA's structure. Wilkins states this more eloquently: "[My] team of researchers at King's [College, a division of the University of London in the UK] laid the foundations for the double helix structure that Watson and Crick [both of whom worked together in a different UK laboratory] demonstrated so peruasively with their model in 1953."
   
   Wilkins ten chapter autobiography is divided into three parts: those days before, during, and after the discovery of DNA's structure. This book contains almost forty black-and-white photographs. Wilkins' aim in writing this book was to tell his life story (that begins before he was born) and, perhaps more importantly, clear up "the tensions, accusations, confusions, and controversies that have attended the telling and retelling of the DNA story."
   
   I felt that Wilkins was totally honest (and at times naive) throughout this book. Some of the reasons I say he was honest are as follows:
   
   (1) He was an octogenarian when this book was published and thus I feel he had nothing to hide at this advanced age.
   
   (2) He reveals many aspects of his personal life that many people would be reticent to reveal, especially in print. For example, he tells us he "felt a bit suicidal at times."
   
   (3) He says many times that in retrospect "he should of" or "he could of" done things differently. I got the impression that at times he was a bit hard on himself.
   
   (4) Finally, he tells us that both he and Crick found Watson's book "The Double Helix" (1968) "distasteful." They both protested to Watson's publisher. (Wilkins said Watson's book was "badly written, juvenile, and in bad taste.") As a result the book was not published. (However, another publisher published it, and the rest is history.)
   
   Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Wilkins' book (at least for me) was the controversey surrounding Rosalind Franklin (1920 to 1958), an "x-ray [diffraction] specialist" who worked in the same lab as Wilkins. He gives us detailed information of what occurred. From other books (particularly the 1975 book by Ann Sayre), I learned that two major things occurred:
   
   (1) There was tension between Frankin and Wilkins. I got the impression from these other books that this tension was due to personality and gender differences. Not true. Wilkins explains why this tension really arose and gives proof of his assertion.
   
   (2) Wilkins gave a critical X-ray photograph (a reproduction of it is included in Wilkins' book) taken by Franklin to Watson without her permission. This photo gave Watson the concrete evidence for DNA's structure. Again, this is not entirely accurate according to Wilkins.
   
   This critical X-ray photo brings up the question of the recognition Franklin should have received. For example, would she have been a contender for the Nobel Prize? I would say yes if this prize was only for determining the structure of DNA. But, as Wilkins explains, he, Crick, and Watson DID NOT receive the prize for this! I checked this out at the offical Nobel Prize internet site. (Note that the inside front and back flaps of Wilkins' book incorrectly says they were awarded the prize for discovering DNA's structure.)
   
   Even so, was Franklin recognized for her achievements and contributions at this time? Watson and Crick did not recognize her for her achievements in their Nobel Prize lectures. However, Wilkins did recognize her (as well as others who made major contributions) in his lecture. (Their actual lectures can also be found at the official Nobel Prize internet site.)
   
   Finally, I still have a few minor questions regarding Wilkins' story. However, my major question is as follows: "Why did he wait half a century after the discovery of DNA's structure to tell his side of the story?"
   
   In conclusion, this autobiography shows that Wilkins was a decent, honest, and brilliant scientist. He also clears up any misconceptions regarding the discovery of the structure of DNA. Be sure to read this book so as to learn the true story of Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins and the true story of the discovery of the structure of DNA!!
   
   +++++



2. The Third Man--The Autobiography of Maurice Wilkins
   by Maurice Wilkins
   Reviewed by Donald Siano

   Wilkins was involved in one of the watershed scientific events of the twentieth century--the discovery of the double helical structure of DNA. He was the guy who really got the study of the x-ray diffraction studies going, and showed that the features seen were universal to a variety of different organisms, and therefore that it was an important scientific problem. He showed that the structure was probably helical, got Rosilind Franklin started on the problem, and was the link from her to Watson and Crick, who finally made the famous model that shook the world.

   This book, published fifty years after, fills in some of the details of the event, correcting and contesting some claims made by others who have written on it. Some of his corrections are quite convincing. For example, a claim was made in one of the books on this affair that his research group contained only one other female, implying that he was something of a misogynist, while a picture of his laboratory coworkers in the book is about half female.

   The tension between him and Franklin is made much of in historical accounts, and Wilkins unflinchingly covers this, and is pretty hard on himself too. The incident graphically shows how people from very different cultures (Franklin was a rich, pushy Jew) who are ostensibly working on a common goal can fail. Diversity in a laboratory group is not always the asset that the universal dogma asserts. His regrets and "could'a shoulda's" are revealing and even moving at times.

   Another revelation in the book was his involvement in the Communist party, and his flirtation with Freudian psychology. A scientific education unfortunately appears not to immunize one completely from quackery.

   The thing I took away from the book is how the simple stories generated and perpetuated in the mass media and in historical accounts are almost always wrong in important ways. Scientific discoveries and important inventions are almost always complicated events, only part of which is even known and understood by any single writer or even the actors involved. But more than that, practically every writer has his prejudices and angles to massage. Autobiographers are no exception to this, but Wilkins has added to our understanding, and should only be applauded for it.




3. Maurice Wilkins was a first-rate scientist who was deeply involved in the most important scientific discovery of the 20th century- the discovery of the structure of DNA.

   His story needs to be told, since he has been written about often by authors such as Watson, Crick, Anne Sayre, Brenda Maddox and others.

   He was a central figure in the continuing saga of Rosalind

   Franklin and her "Photograph 51", recently the subject of a televison documentary of the same title, and a previous BBC

   special produced by Peter Goodchild some ten years ago.

   He was clearly not the equal of Rosalind Franklin in
   experimental ability, nor of Watson and Crick in their aggressive utilization of the work of others.

   Perhaps the key story of this book was Wilkins' graciously declining co-authorship of the basic DNA Publication in Nature, which also, much to the relief of Watson and Crick, avoided having to acknowledge how they obtained Photograph 51.

   As Sir John Maddox said recently, "If all these publications had arrived at Nature when I was Editor, I would have smelled a rat"

   In any case, Wilkins comes off as a thoroughly decent person, although one wonders why he permitted the consistent publication
   of articles representing Rosalind Franklin as one of his subordinates- which she never was.

2 comments about Schweitzer: A Biography.

1. This is a fine biography of one of the greatest humanitarians of the twentieth century. During his lifetime, (ninety years) Schweitzer the great man transformed into Schweitzer the great myth; the great white hope, saving the bodies and souls of the primitive black man of Africa. In our post colonial age, with its post modern, abstract cultural theories of the `other', Schweitzer became an easy target for cultural critics, using the man and his work as representative of everything evil about the self-perceived superiority of Western man over `primitive cultures'. It is without question, that, for the most part, European imperialism justified their greedy exploitation of developing countries as efforts to `civilize' them. Our culture, knowledge and religion were superior to these `savages', and while we stole their natural resources, we gave them enlightenment. Further to this, however, as we stole and enlightened, we also gave them our diseases, which, in some cases, virtually wiped out entire peoples. From the very beginning, Albert Schweitzer was aware of the European's injustices to these people, and deeply felt some kind of atonement or restitution had to be made. Schweitzer's intention was to essentially help; his inspiring example paved the way for present humanitarian organizations to make a difference or at least become more effective in their aid. This biography successfully dismantles the `great white hope' myth, and presents the man as an insightful critic of Western values and traditional theology, a man who lived his philosophy - or as Schweitzer said, "Live his argument". One can never truly understand or judge someone based on what they say or what they write; only through the results of a person's actions can we really know them. Marshall and Poling's biography of Schweitzer includes his writing and many quotes from conversations and interviews, but argue his greatness from the stand point of his actions. In other words, his fifty years of service and the establishment of the Lambarene hospital, speaks for itself.

   Schweitzer became aware of his mission to serve his fellow travellers on this planet somewhat late in life. An established philosopher and theologian at age thirty, a principal of a respected seminary, he awoke one morning to realize everything life had given him, and it was time to give back. After reading an article calling for trained medical staff to work in West Africa, he knew what he needed to do. Against heavy opposition from family and friends, he returned to university as a mature-aged student to study medicine, attaining his degree. The public know much about his early life but as his daughter, Rhena Schweitzer, writes in the Forward, "It is the first biography that gives an account of the last years of my fathers live. It helps explain and dissipates some of the false ideas about his relationship to the Africans." This book dispels these falsehoods and myths, and is also a sensitive and objective appraisal of a man and his life.

   An inspiring read.




2. A brilliant bravo to a task well done. G. Marshall & D. Poling have captured succinctly the life of the last of the 'Enlightenment' minds. Albert Schweitzer was true to the principles of reason, naturalism and thought. He took these principles and undauntedly applied them to his religion and his culture. Albert Schweitzer was a critic of Christianity and modern civilization and this book captures Albert Schweitzer, "the critic".

   In the world and church around him he saw conformity and the lack of individual reflection. This is a book about a nonconformism, a brilliant theologian/philosopher and a humanitarian genius.

   Unlike other biographies of Schweitzer I have read, these authors write with a fluid, engaging style, pulling you closer to the man that they knew and profiled. Albert Schweitzer lived 90 years and the length of his life is a challenge that biographers must face. They must capture the individualistic spirit of Albert Schweitzer youth, the brilliance of his middle years and the tenacity of his old age.

   Albert Schweitzer's Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 spoke of his sacrificial work in Africa, his vital practical philosophy of life, his call to clear comprehension of the historic Jesus that Christianity needs to embrace, his musical brilliance, his compassion for the animal kingdom and his love of healing. Yet, to brush stroke with ink a portrait of this unbelievable figure is a demanding undertaking and Marshall and Poling have done it right, and they did right to one of the greatest personalities of the twentieth century. Strongly recommended. 4.5 Stars.