The Book Of Medical Mistakes: Real-Life Accounts of the Most Horrific Medical Disasters and Those Who Survived Their Ordeal [Hardcover]

Martin Fido (Author), Karen Fido (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2002

This book is a unique collection of heart-rendering true-life stories.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Fido is a writer, broadcaster, and tour guide. He was previously a literary historian, specializing in the Victorian social novel and its background. For 20 years he taught in universities from Oxford to the West Indies.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Carlton Books (October 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185868854X
• ISBN-13: 978-1858688541
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,372,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars An interesting book about medical mistakes..., August 12, 2000

By 

Rachel Arens (Melbourne, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book Of Medical Mistakes: Real-Life Accounts of the Most Horrific Medical Disasters and Those Who Survived Their Ordeal (Hardcover)

This book is definitely not the book to buy if you are looking for a credible source on medical mistakes. However, if accuracy is not a concern, it is an interesting book to read.

The book tells of countless blunders by early medical practitioners up to modern day doctors. I learned a lot of interesting about the history behind many of present medical practices. Some topics covered are medications, surgeries, and their side effects, fraudulent billing practices, negligent doctors, and unethical procedures and practices.

This book is extremely sensational. It is fast to make claims and statements that are not backed up by facts. The book offers no references or citations as to where to where the data and information was gathered. There are also hundreds of grammar errors and typos.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this book!!, December 2, 2001

By 

Anne Bird (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Book Of Medical Mistakes: Real-Life Accounts of the Most Horrific Medical Disasters and Those Who Survived Their Ordeal (Hardcover)

This book is a horribly inaccurate collection of stories. I found several mistakes well beyond just "typos". For example, the authors describe a normal sleep stage (Rapid eye movement sleep) as abnormal and causing "suffering" in patients. The case of Phineas Gage (p. 215) is also mistakenly described. The authors take advantage of the fact that most people have not taken a course in neuroanatomy or basic physiology to advance their agenda. I bought the book in the hope that it would be an important addition to my education, but was sorely disappointed. I now believe that any "fact" put forth by these authors should be taken with a grain of salt.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Really Enjoyed this one!, January 22, 2006

By 

S. Henkels (Devon, Pa United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Book Of Medical Mistakes: Real-Life Accounts of the Most Horrific Medical Disasters and Those Who Survived Their Ordeal (Hardcover)

OK, the writing can get a bit flippant, and there are lots of typos! Still, for a nifty exploration of some really seriously bad medical errors, this is a fine read! Starting out with the thalidimide babies of the early 1960's, some really creepy stuff, and the lives of some of these individuals laters,moving on to cosmetic surgery mishaps, cases of poorly written and misread perscriptions, operations on the wrong part of the body, the Dalkon Shield disaster, and very weird medical ideas over the ages, the short mistreatments related here are cause for concern, and may provide a little numbness as you plow through. So for someone near illiterate in medicine and pharmacy, this is a bizarre and sometime frightening book!