Customer Reviews

Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Katrina Firlik is one of approximately 4,500 neurosurgeons in the United States. Although only five percent are women, the number is growing as more bright and ambitious females enter the field. In her book, "Another Day in the Frontal Lobe," Firlik writes about her seven years of post-medical school training which led to her appointment as Chief Resident of Neurosurgery at the age of thirty-three, and later, to a job in an upscale Connecticut hospital.

After briefly touching on the history of neurosurgery, Firlik discusses the nature of this specialty. It is a combination of science and mechanics. Unlike neurologists and psychologists, both of whom deal with the human brain, it is the neurosurgeon's task to physically heal patients who have blood clots, tumors, and other traumas that afflict the brain and spinal cord. Technical proficiency, accuracy, and speed on the part of the surgeon are all essential if the patient is to survive with minimal impairment.

The book is filled with anecdotes about unusual cases, such as the carpenter who sat placidly in the emergency room with a heavy-duty nail sticking out of his skull, and the child whose mother allowed his routine ear infection to develop into meningitis because she refused to give him antibiotics. Firlik talks about the anatomy and function of the brain clearly, using layman's terms. Squeamish readers should beware, however, since the author describes her cases in graphic detail.

Although Firlik's account is engrossing and informative enough, her writing style is a bit scattered; she routinely jumps from one subject to another. In addition, we never get to know the author very well as a person. She comes across as a steady, competent, and confident doctor, but she doesn't allow us to peek beneath her cool and calm demeanor very deeply.

The final chapter, "Brainlifts," is a look at the high-tech future of neurosurgery. The time has come when we can have "cognitive tune-ups," much as an automobile has a tune-up to maximize its performance. A doctor can implant a "neat little metal plug" with an electrode and battery overlying the major nodes in the patient's memory network. Constant low-grade electrical stimulation enhances the person's ability to function intellectually. In addition, doctors are devising less invasive methods to successfully treat brain aneurysms and certain types of tumors. The field of neurosurgery is still a wide-open frontier with no limits on the horizon.

It is true this book is "breezy" and it is an "easy read" to quote some other reviews but it seems to be missing some sort of basic humanity. I think what bothered me most was the lack of follow-up on most of the stories of the patients. A few we find out that they "died" or "seem to be doing well" but for the most part the operation is done and you never find out the end results. The end result for me, a layperson, is the book isn't all that interesting. While I love the science aspect, and read for the science parts of it, I am not a scientist. I need the more human element to keep me involved. This book lacks that.

My other issue is her running commentary on religion, god and belief. While I find it unsurprising that she is not a believer in a higher being I find her comments on it rather foolish, as if it is a given and not a topic that reasonable people can differ on. Einstein and Hawking both left the door open for god. I am not suggesting that she should be anything other than what she is in her belief, only that her lack of tolerance and "affection" for those of us so foolishly afflicted with a different opinion is rather grating.

As a mother of a boy who underwent brain surgery (fortunately successful), I was naturally drawn to this title. What I hadn't expected was to find it such a fascinating and fun read. I simply couldn't put the book down. Dr. Firlik is as talented a writer as she obviously is a surgeon (and why not, how many doctors would name Raymond Carver as one of their favorite authors - most I would venture to guess, wouldn't even know his name). I learned a great deal from this book - some of which I was glad I didn't know before my son's surgery. I can't imagine anyone, whether or not they have faced neurosurgery, not enjoying this book.

I bought this book a few months ago in a store. I liked it, and I ordered another copy today for my aunt, who had a large but benign tumor removed from her brain several years ago. She's been fine since the operation, and I think she'll find this book to be a fascinating insight into how her surgeon perceived her.

I noticed that there were several one star reviews. After reading them, I can only wonder if we read the same book. The author's continual presentation is that she is part of a team, and is no more responsible for saving people's lives than all of the other doctors and technicians in the hospital, as well as the patient's family (who may have noticed the problem before the patient did). Dr. Firlik describes how long she trained and what it was like, as a human-interest story, and it is interesting. There's not one drop of grandstanding or showing off in the book. Far from being obsessed by money, she explains how she and her husband live in a simple house several towns removed from the hospital where she works, as they can't afford the real estate that's closer.

Dr. Firlik writes well, and the story moves back and forth easily between stories about her training and what she is doing at present. This isn't an in-depth study of neurosurgery, nor was it ever meant to be. It is an entertaining and informative story about how neurosurgeons are created and some of the future possibilities for the field. It is far from being an 'airport book' (something that you can read in a departure lounge while being aurally assaulted by announcements and the antics of fellow passengers). It is a very enjoyable read, and gives the rest of us a view of a world we hopefully would not see otherwise.

I have epilepsy from a head injury ten years ago. I have tried ten different medications as well as the Vagus Nerve Stimulator. Nothing seems to help. My doctor recently referred me to an Epilepsy Center. Knowing this is the first step toward brain surgery, I picked up this book to better understand those who may treat me.

I appreciate Ms. Firlik for sharing her world with those of us stuck in the treatment spiral. I was ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED by the thought of brain surgery. I'm now at ease, almost excited to be honest, that this next step may be available to me.

Her book is more valuable than any doctor saying simply 'it's commonplace now' or giving statistics on the success rates. She's pushed aside my fear and opened my mind (no pun intended) to a whole new avenue of treatment.

For those of you who had a problem with the book, read it from the patient's perspective. She has not made this book into a self promoting platform. I found her to be very honest and open about her shortcomings. It's about the process of becoming a neurosurgeon and it's told from the student's perspective. It would read like a textbook if written any other way.

I'm recommending this book to everyone I know. If you have a problem possibly treatable through brain surgery, read this book. You'll feel more at ease.

Whoa, can this woman write! It's an adventure following along this highly intelligent but very unusual young woman as she narrates the path to becoming a neurosurgeon, and the adventures encountered along the way and on arrival (not for the faint of heart). Her cool head, surprising combination of scientific detachment and human sympathy make her a truly unique voice, and she describes a world most of us will never view. It's like a fascinating voyage to a strange planet, and highly, highly entertaining. Recommended.

I approached Dr. Firlik's book with some trepidation, having undergone brain surgery a few years ago for a diving board accident of all things. I wasn't sure I really wanted to know what might have gone on when the door to my skull was opened. But I'm glad I did if only to appreciate what it takes to become a neurosurgeon. I really couldn't put this book down. From the cute but sad baby story to the question that I'm not sure is ever answered - what color is the brain? - It's nice to know someone on the other end of a scalpel appreciates another 24 hours as much as I do now.

In this excellent book, shaped as a memoir, Dr. Firlik somehow manages to do several things at once - paint a genuine yet engaging picture both of the neurosurgical profession and her own life, present her well thought out opinions on several related issues like end of life treatment v.s. quality of death, religion, evolution and the future of neurosurgery and medicine (without being forceful about them, backed by interesting references) and even offers advice to patients on what to expect from and how to deal with doctors. The book is a great read and I am thankful to the author for helping me vicariously live the life of a neurosurgeon and experience almost everything associated with it.

It is really becoming quite astonishing to see the sheer amount of medical memoirs or medical autobiographies that have been hitting the book market over the last five to ten years. Having an interest in medical training as a subject and medical history, these memoirs never fail to intrigue and entertain. Another Day in the Frontal Lobe is no exception, and what makes this particular narrative more compelling is the fact that it is written by a woman, a neurosurgeon, where the profession twenty-five years ago was predominately a male domain. This is not the main focus of the text, however, as Firlik proposes, women in the profession have more or less paved the way for up and coming female (neuro) surgeons, making her experience much less troublesome. Similar to many medical memoirs, the narrative begins during the infamous residency period of training, where most of the more meaningful (and horrific) experiences occur for the doctor.

Firlik writes in a light and breezy conversational tone creating the atmosphere for the reader of sitting with her in a café drinking coffee and listening to her expound about her childhood, marriage, medical philosophy, her approach to medicine and how it developed; and her interesting personal philosophy on what life is and how she views the world. I did not expect the depth of a theologian or philosopher, but her `Nature' based views are not surprising in the least coming from a woman of science.

Horror stories are common to this genre but the author only retells a few, focusing more on the neurosurgical methods themselves and how they are developing. One of my favourite chapters is "Tools" where Firlik discusses the relatively new 3-D image-guidance technology where... "the patient's MRI scan is downloaded into a computer system in the OR, and these images are linked to a navigation wand." (p.99) This enables the surgeon to pinpoint the exact location of a tumour and create the smallest of incisions in the skull. One wonders how far medical technology will advance in the next, say, twenty-five years, the possibilities are truly endless.

Personally the more disturbing discussions came at the end of the text on the topic of `cognitive enhancement'. Technology has progressed enough where we can now implant electrical stimulators in the patient's skull to improve cognitive ability. Neurosurgeons around the planet are setting up shop, offering cognitive enhancement to the privileged and wealthy and making buckets of money. Taking this further, research is looking into creating "savants" with these techniques, enabling individuals to be virtual geniuses in specialized areas. In other words, creating "cyborgs", mainly human and part machine; science fiction as the cliché states is becoming science fact.

This is not the space to engage in debate about cognitive enhancement but it surely gives the reader food for thought and where neurology and neurosurgery might be heading.

Katrina Firlik has written an entertaining book on the subject and freely gives her advice to those considering entering the profession.

As someone who happens to know many more neurologists than I care to, I'm not usually interested in books by physicians, but this case is an exception. I first heard of Katrina Firlik when I read her recent Wall Street Journal op-ed about her experience with an undocumented alien in Connecticut. It was a good piece and when the bio blurb mentioned her book, I decided to pick it up. I'm glad I did.

Although Dr. Firlik is a brain (i.e. neuro) surgeon who knows grey matter thoroughly, I was surprised to learn that spinal surgery is the backbone of her non-academic practice. She is masterly with metaphors, extended and otherwise, and writes amusingly. Historical and contemporary anecdotes abound, for example, she shares a similar sense of direction with one of the giants in her field and that the pioneer in primate head (or is it body?) transplantation was a medical advisor to the recently deceased Pope and was also a guest at her wedding.

Speaking of religion, she's at the least, a skeptic, who could not understand her favorite neuropathologist's disbelief in evolution. (At this point, I speculated as to what she'd think of the Mayo trained surgeon and Catholic priest who spoke at our church.) Toward the end of the book, the tone changes a little when she discusses living with an aging (not hers!) spine and anticipates possible future services such as cognitive "tune-ups" and "brainlifts". This may explain her brain surgeon husband's career switch into venture capitalism.

In all a great read and here's hoping this is only the start of Dr. Firlik's writing career.