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Reviewed by: Khushi k
Rating: 8/10
Genre: Fiction
600 pages/1988
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Doctors
by
Erich Segal
Erich Segal's Doctors (1988), an enlightening work of fiction, is both a love
story and an eye-opening study of the training and practice of America's most
elite health professionals. What we understand is that doctors are as flawed as
normal people but due to the nature of their work they are elevated to a
demi-God status. The book leads us through the various incidences that the med
school graduates encounter (demanding hours of internship, facing and overcoming
your worst fears, hours of research and residency) which transforms them into
the doctors they eventually become.
The central characters of the book are Laura Castellano and Barney Livingston;
best friends who attend Harvard Medical School together. It takes many years
filled with scientific celebrity and disappointing affairs for them to finally
realize that they have something more than friendship for each other. Laura
Castellano’s character is truly an inspiration to women folk everywhere. She
achieves success in her work but at the cost of her personal life. She relies on
Barney whenever she is in trouble and he helps her out no matter what.
Barney (who goes on to become a psychologist) makes it a point to help Laura not
lapse into self-deprecation. After a particularly bad relation he advises her in
a beautiful one liner, "One complete person deserves another complete person".
An important character is that of Bennett Landsmann, a Black youth who does his
best to overcome racial discrimination. He becomes one of the first colored
persons to graduate from the med school. There are other characters like Seth,
who helps in euthanasia rather than watch his patients suffer in extreme pain.
Laura’s parents who let her down and go their separate ways. Some characters
undergo a great behavioral change e.g. Palmer (Laura’s husband)- from a nice guy
to a complete rogue without much of an explanation which mystifies the reader.
The book mentions that doctors have higher suicide and drug addiction rates than
the rest of the population due to the rigorous demands of their profession. We
learn that many wannabe doctors give up their lives (or end up demented), as
they are unable to cope with the intense pressure of their work. We learn the
inner secrets of what happens when doctors goof up in their practice and the
politics that affects even this profession. Concepts like euthanasia and
doctor's ethics are touched upon, not to mention the adrenaline of the operating
room. There is a lot of medical knowledge to be found here and many exciting
hospital room scenes.
A long book – its over 600 pages but it is very captivating and can be finished
over a couple of days. In fact distinguished people of medicine recommend a
reading of this book “Doctors” to anyone who is interested in going to medical
school, which speaks a great deal about the value of the book. The book is a
wonderful read and I would highly recommend it.
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