by Practicing Compassion in Medicine
Subtitle of the book “The Lost Art of Healing” by Bernard Lown
Continuing from my last post concerning the issues and concepts of health and illness, introducing the idea of attainment or fulfilment:
I would now like to continue with the theme and look at the book “The Lost Art of Healing” by Bernard Lown, MD, a Nobel prize winning cardiologist.
Here I would like to include an excerpt from the book which illustrates the complex, multi-level nature of medicine well and is also an impressive short story:
A-modern-hasidic-taleTo be continued here…
Continued on 2nd June 2021: I have now finished reading the book. There is so much going on at the moment that it is often difficult to sit down and read but once I´d started this book it was a delight to read. If you are interested in the history of medicine and/or history of cardiology then this book is fascinating. The chapter about digitalis and his route to finding the relevance of potassium levels is most memorable and encapsulates real clinical challenges in a timeless way. The reading style is easy, uncomplicated but also insightful and compassionate. The chapter on “caring for the elderly” I found particularly insightful with its dealings with the challenges of ageing and how to appreciate how the ageing patient feels along with their special challenges in everyday life. It is not a book that I feel I can précis and it would be a shame in some ways to try. It is a special book so do read it if it interests you.
“For most, death does not come in one swoop; instead, it involves a slow separation from one´s self and the diminishing ability of the five senses to reach out and connect with the outside world.”
Bernard Lown, MD
