<p>I posted about concerns about med school and realized that really I want to know more about the moral/ethical/spiritual side of a medical practice... of being a doctor but also of being any medical professional (since being a doctor doesn't always work out but I can see working in a hospital or clinic).</p>
<p>Scott Morris (who I posted the other article from) also wrote this as a recommended reading:</p>
<p>HopeandHealing.org</a> - Recommended Reading: My Top Five Books</p>
<p>I'm especially interested in his first and fourth choices. This idea of "poverty medicine" seems like a radical way to go.</p>
<p>I'd love to hear any suggestions for moral or spiritual books or articles from doctors or other medical people.</p>
<p>Read Mountains upon Mountains and The Spirit Catches you and you Fall down. Neither of these focuses much on the religious, but they definitely will satiate some of your desire for what you are seeking.</p>
<p>“Mountains Beyond Mountains” really, really annoys me, but it is widely acclaimed. You could also try anything written by Atul Gawande, Abraham Verghese, or Walt Larimore, all of whom I think very highly of. One of my very favorites is Reynolds Price, A Whole New Life.</p>
<p>There’s also Samuel Shem, Jerome Groopman, but I haven’t read their work.</p>
<p>I read Shem’s “House of God” when I was in medical school 30 years ago. It is hilarious, but not at all “spirtual or moral”, just the opposite. A scathing book on being an internal medicine resident at Mass general.</p>
<p>Thanks for these! I’ve read articles by Atul Gawande, but the others are newer to me (except I’ve read about Paul Farmer… not his books or Mountains beyond Mountains yet). I’m interested in doctors working for a broader social good, esp. with people who are typically left out or excluded from our systems, so those work. I’m definitely going to check out the Reynolds Price book. Thanks!</p>
<p>Definitely When the Spirit Catches you and you fall down.</p>
<p>When the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is one of my favorites, too.</p>
<p>I’m wondering about stories or people who have done similar work to Paul Farmer… he’s the go-to person but I’d like some other models (being a researcher, physician, writer, and professor seems like a tall order sometimes!).</p>