Book Review-The Doctors' Lounge (Brier Hospital)-Lawrence W. Gold, MD

Anyone who has visited my blog knows that I love to read books by this author--I am pretty sure I have read every single one of them. I impatiently wait for his next book to be published. Doctor turned author of medical mysteries--and he has years of experience working as a physician to draw from. I also enjoy receiving the bits of medical information that he sends out--can't take the Doc out of the author!! Which is a good thing--I've learned quite a bit by reading his blog as well.
Which brings us to this novel----

Here is the question---should a doctor just sit back and watch as a patient who is in extreme pain-and absolutely nothing can be done keep that patient alive or administer enough pain medication which may or may not end his suffering permanently. It delves into DNR's and what can occur when the patient clearly has signed one but the family has objections. It also delves into the interaction (or lack thereof) between Physicians and the Administration of Hospitals. And of course the interactions between the staff members. Having worked in a hospital--believe me when I tell you--it is a bit like Peyton Place!! Then you have the "old guard Doctors versus the young. What we all sometimes forget is----

Doctor's are human (although some of them forget this as well) and it can happen that they need to step back because they could not see what was wrong with a patient and that patient dies. I REALLY want every one of you to read this novel-not only is it a great read--but might give you some insight into the minds and hearts of the people we sometimes trust with our lives.


About the Book: (from Amazon)

Jacob Weizman, the popular character first introduced in the novel, No Cure for Murder, has, after sixty years of exemplary medical practice, suffered a crisis of confidence and has withdrawn from hospital practice. He spends mornings in the Doctors’ Lounge where he becomes a sage, a sounding board, consultant, adviser, and all around mentor for physicians, nurses, and even for hospital administrators.
Through Jacob’s involvement, we observe the realities of medical practice and how it affects practitioners and patients alike.

Purchase the Book Here


About the Author: (from author's website)

I was born in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, moved to Queens, and then, as New Yorkers say, my family ascended to the Island. After graduating from Valley Stream Central High School, I went to Adelphi, a college then, a university now, and then to medical school in Chicago. The war in Vietnam interrupted my postgraduate medical training with a year in Colorado Springs and another as a Battalion Surgeon in Vietnam. I spent seven months in the Central Highlands with the 4th Infantry and five months in an evacuation hospital in Long Binh outside Saigon where I ran the emergency room. I returned intact in 1968 to complete my training in internal medicine and diseases of the kidney, nephrology. I worked for twenty-three years in Berkeley, California in a hospital-based practice caring for patients with complicated illnesses often in ICU, and served as Chief of Internal Medicine and Family Practice. For many years, I was an active member of the quality assurance committee. Circumstances permitted my wife, Dorlis, and me to retire in October 1995. Before fate could intervene, we tossed off the dock lines, and sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge for a life at sea in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Four years later, exhausted from repairing everything on board, (often many times) we sold the sailboat and within a year took the lazy man’s out; we bought a Nordic Tug trawler. We motored around Florida, the Bahamas, and the entire East Coast and completed two ‘circle trips’ to Canada and back, eight months, the first time, five months, the second. I’ve written eight novels, five in he Brier Hospital Series, and one non-fiction book, I Love My Doctor, But…, a lighthearted look at the patient/doctor relationship. I recently published my ninth novel, A Simple Cure, about the search for the cure of the most deadly skin cancer, malignant melanoma. I write primarily to entertain, but I can’t help but pass on to readers observations and beliefs culled from years of practice, and yes, my biases, too. I strive for realism in portraying the medical scene which is gripping enough without melodrama or gimmicks. With even a minor degree of success in writing novels, comes responsibility to readers. I attempt to produce honest material that reflects my beliefs. Exposing these beliefs to the public through my writing requires courage, stupidity, or both. My fans have been generous, and although nobody enjoys criticism, I’ve learned much from that, too. The novel that expresses most clearly my candor, and my bias, is For the Love of God. The novel reflects my attitudes toward those who are willing to sacrifice the lives of their children for their personal religious beliefs.

We live in beautiful Grass Valley with 15 1/2 year old Mike, a terrier mix and Bennie, an 8 year old Yorkie who just looks like he’s on steroids.

Author's Website
Dr. Gold's Fiction and Medical News (this is very interesting)
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I received an e-book version of this book for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own honest opinions. For more information please check my Disclosure Statement. Our giveaways are in no way sponsored or promoted by Facebook.