Final Exam: A Surgeon's Reflections on Mortality by Pauline Chen
In this blog post, I will be discussing Final Exam: A Surgeon's Reflections on Mortality by Pauline Chen. This book is a biography/ personal narrative, and it is divided into three sections; lessons in medical school, how professional responses manifest and perpetuate themselves, and the transformations in how doctors approach end-of-life care. All the experiences she had deals with the problem of mortality and how "facing that mortality in ourselves is perhaps the most difficult task of all."
Chen leads us into her laboratory facility before her cadaver dissection as she describes the lingering sharp and rancid aroma of formalehyde (formalehyde is a preservative used for cadavers). The smell got much worse as she was presented with the cadaver the next day. Her first response after being in the laboratory was how "unsettling [it was] to be presented with so little history, and it became more so as we allowed ourselves to become intimately familiar with every detail of these bodies." This thought stayed in her mind throught all the weeks in the lab as she worked backwards to diagnose the patient's cause of death. Not being able to see the face of the patient, she constantly wondered what the face looked like. She expands on that topic as she dreams about the cadvaers show signs of putrefication being hung on hooks as she tries to escape and is afraid that they will fall on her. This also reveals the psychological impact that these experiences make. She shares how "the daily confrontation with a dead body, the first stranger's body that medical students may have ever examined so closely, marks a point of high anxiety in medical education." Throughout the dissection, Chen and her peers also had written exams to prepare for. This is only a small insight into the harsh training that all medical students go through sometime in their life.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Even though it was filled with heaps of terminology that I had to search up, it caught my attention and I empathized with the heartfelt stories Chen wrote. I remember reading this on the way back to school from a volleyball game and crying because it was so touching. Although I think this is a great book and I would definitely recommend it to people who are considering a career in the medical field. That's not saying it will be a completely boring book if you don't like to read about medicine, I think it has a lot of interesting philosophical aspects of life. Overall, I really liked the book and would rate it 9/10 forceps.
Thanks for tuning in!
Helen
Great review! Although I am not too familiar with medical fields, this book seems interesting. I am moved by the fact that you cried on the way from a volleyball game while reading this book. I might read this book in the future if I get a chance.
ReplyDeleteHelen, this book sounds really interesting! I've never heard of a book that talked about the experiences of people who work in the medical field, and especially how it impacts them mentally. I know that this is definitely a popular topic, as the job of a medical professional can be tedious and difficult. My mom is a nurse, so I will definitely show her your review! Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Helen, this book sounds like an interesting read. I think a lot of times people forget how hard doctors had to work to get where they are. It isn't just an easy walk in the park. Seeing dead bodies every day is definitely going to do something to someone psychologically.
ReplyDeleteHi Helen, This sounds like a very intriguing personal narrative. The psychological aspect of this book sounds very interesting considering the job that she had and the toll that might have on someone mentally. Good Review!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Helen! Learning about a doctor's experience with mortality and how it relates to their job sounds like a really interesting perspective on the medical field and one that I'm not too familiar with, so I'll definitely be putting this book on my reading list!
ReplyDeleteHi Helen, this book sounds really interesting. I think people often forget about the mental effects that happen on doctors. It must be extremely difficult to be faced with dead bodies every day, knowing that these people once had lives and are now being used for practice. I think it's cool that this book recognizes doctors for what they do. Great job!
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