Reilly’s medical narrative nicely intertwines true stories of challenging patients—difficult diagnoses, tough medical and ethical decisions, and the management of critically ill people—with valuable lessons on doctoring and patienthood. A fever of unknown origin, profound thyroid deficiency, severe hypoglycemia, chest pain, delirium, bleeding bladder cancer, and life-threatening infection of a heart valve are some of the medical problems encountered. Reilly, a hospital physician with 40 years of experience, also recounts caring for his elderly parents. He writes about the importance of grunt work in medicine, sustained doctor-patient relationships, and clinical instinct. The doctor confesses, Over the years I’ve learned to listen to my gut, but that doesn’t mean I can trust it. Indeed, medical decision making can be hard and hazardous. Risk and probability always factor into it. A medical problem can be handled in multiple ways, but outcomes are never guaranteed. Benefit and harm are both possibilities. Reilly admits that physicians know lots about regret but rarely discuss it. Empathy and thoughtfulness—One Doctor has oodles of it. --Tony Miksanek
“A gripping memoir by a doctor’s doctor. Reilly’s career has taken him from inner city hospitals to remote rural practices. He writes movingly about what it is like on the front lines: the mysteries, the frustration and the rewards of his chosen calling. A must read for the general public and any young person contemplating a career in medicine.”
(Abraham Verghese, author of Cutting for Stone)
“One Doctor contains the essence of all of it: our humanity and nobility – and why we are all entranced by medical dramas of every kind. A stunning book."
(Christiane Northrup, M.D., ob/gyn physician and author of the New York Times bestsellers, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and)
“Extraordinary up-close story-telling. Brendan Reilly takes us bedside to witness the dramas and dilemmas of everyday medicine. One Doctor is a love story about a man and his lifelong passion for the mysteries and miracles of medicine.”
(Lisa Sanders, New York Times columnist and author of Every Patient Tells a Story)
“Brendan Reilly has written a beautiful book about a forgotten subject – what it means for a physician to truly care for a patient. One Doctor shows why this matters today more than ever before.”
(Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink, The Tipping Point, and Outliers)
“Heart-pounding pace and drama … remarkable … His book is about more than the joy of saving lives and the sadness of losing them – it’s an intimate exploration of modern medicine and the human condition.”
(
Publishers Weekly)
"Reilly provides valuable insight into modern medicine as he relates his most challenging cases up to the present. Gripping and compassionate."
(
New York Daily News)
“Reilly’s medical narrative nicely intertwines true stories of challenging patients with valuable lessons on doctoring and “patienthood.” Empathy and thoughtfulness—One Doctor has oodles of it.”
(
Booklist)
"Compassion, dedication, respect, professional competence, humility. All of these qualities shine through the many stories that make up the bulk of Brendan Reilly’s “One Doctor.’’ This book is much more than merely a gripping memoir written by an expert storyteller who also happens to be one of the nation’s most respected leaders of academic medicine. Spanning a 40-year career, the deftly woven tapestry of anecdotes and scholarly analysis...nimbly alternates between two time frames. Reilly’s moving and eloquently written book will be sure to interest not just those working in the medical professions. “One Doctor’’ is simply a terrific read."
(
Boston Globe)
"Powerful...Many of the diagnoses Dr. Reilly discusses begin as little more than gut feelings. But watching him piece together a diagnosis, scrap by scrap, makes for riveting scenes—part mystery, part thriller. The action is all the more intense because some patients, despite his brilliance, really will die."
(
WSJ)
“Empathy and thoughtfulness – ONE DOCTOR has oodles of it.”
(
Booklist)
One Doctor is gutsy and heartfelt, a recommended read for anyone interested not only in modern medicine but also one man's professional and personal journey, as instructive as it is inspirational....Reilly's insightful ruminations make for a fascinating read, further strengthened by fast-paced, first-person accounts of challenging cases."
(BookBrowse Editor's Choice)