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A Fortunate Man: The Story of a Country Doctor

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A Fortunate Man, first published in the late1960's has remained an enduring book which not only captures a time and place - a small village in the border country between England and Wales in the 1960's, but has become a book which in many ways is an archetypal essay about the relationship of the physician to himself, to the community and to the ideals and realities of practice. I have taught this book in medical school for almost 20 years, using it as a stimulus for young physicians to think about themselves and how they view their careers, looking forward. The photographs by Jean Mohr are among the most striking and emotional depictions of medicine in the late 20th century and the book has become a widely referenced example of combining narrative and photographs in the documentary style.

Anyone who wishes to understand the essence of the doctor patient relationship or the doctor community relationship should own this book and read it. It is a classic.

This book is an extended essay on the work of Dr. John Sassall, a country General Practicioner (GP), in a poor area of Britain. Integrated into this book are a series of often striking photographs taken by Berger's collaborator Jean Mohr. The photos complement Berger's insightful comments on Sassall's work. Berger and Mohr appear to have spent a good deal of time with Sassall and his patients and must have earned the trust, not only of Sassall, but of his patients. Berger terms Sassall "A Fortunate Man" not because of good luck or unusual talent but because Sassall is a person whose work is directly connected with basic existential questions and meaning. The portrait of Sassall is unsentimental, clear, and admiring. Sassall is not just a highly competent and dedicated physician, he is a man who feels compelled to use his occupational life in a quest to explore basic questions about the nature of human relationships and community. This need drives him to be an exceptionally good physician and to involve himself deeply in the life of his rather insular community. While Sassall is an unusual man and physician, many aspects of his experiences in dealing with patients cast light on doctor-patient relationships in general. As a physician, I found Berger's analysis of many of these issues insightful and useful. Berger proceeds to larger issues of how society values life and work. Berger's writing is unambiguous, direct, and informed by a considerable critical intelligence. The real measure of this book is that readers will find themselves drawn back to thinking about the questions that Berger raises.

It begins as if it were fiction, and ends as a study of one man's life, his relation to his patients, and the economic and social conditions which frame this connection. It is less biography than philosophy, and it extends beyond doctors toward all people and their actions.

This is not to say that John Berger's observations of Dr. Sassall's life can be applied to all people. Much is specific to Sassall's identity as a doctor. His depression, Berger claims, is a result of "the suffering of his patients, and his own sense of inadequacy." But there is a theme of existentialism that underlies the book, and it is ultimately about, I think, the pain of searching for purpose after one has faced and understood absurdity. Berger cannot conclude his essay because Sassall's essence cannot be truly captured, and his existence is not yet finished.

Besides being a philosophical book, it is also very personal. It is difficult to categorize FORTUNATE MAN into nonfiction categories because it is very intellectually intimate. It is a unique and thoughtful book, not only to be enjoyed but appreciated with effort and time.

Mr. John Berger calls this work an essay, a word that does not bring to my mind great literary work. It brings back memories of forced reading and documentation. "A Fortunate Man", is a literary accomplishment, it is another example of this Author's skills and to the man this book is a tribute to. Additionally the photographs of Jean Mohr bring a sense of hyperrealism to this documentary of one Doctor's practice, the world in which he lives, and the lives he cares for. Many of the black and white images brought to mind the Artist Andrew Wyeth as he too has documented the life of those traditionally not thought to be extraordinary, but who are the foundations of our society.

Photographs are not generally found in most popular literature. Images are the realm of the Author and the creations he or she can conjure in the mind's eye of a reader. Some would comment pictures are inappropriate; they intrude, or at worst become a crutch for weak writing. Others would say each reader should have their own visual experience, their own reference points they create when reading another's work. But in this collaboration the images and words compliment one another, and like the words that are black and white, the photographer too makes her contribution in shades from black to white, and the result is simply extraordinary.

There are moments when the Author becomes a poet adding but a few lines to an otherwise lone photograph, and the feeling evoked has more impact than chapters of lesser writers. Mr. Berger describes a landscape as perhaps being other than a stage where events unfold, and actually being a screen or curtain that hides life's events. Landscapes for him are, "biographical and personal", read that thought with the photograph it compliments and you feel as though you have experienced an entire novel.

Dr. John Sassall is the man that all this excellence in words and images were gathered for and he is deserving of every bit of the talent used. He is a country Doctor, he is pure in his motivation as his patients are what he lives for, his drive is to ease suffering, cure, and be the comforting presence when death is at hand. He is the type of Doctor that any reader would consider himself or herself fortunate to have. He is the confidant of every age, every generation, he is an advisor but never one who preaches, opines or judges. He is part of the lives of his patients, he knows them, and knows that illness is not always a physical ailment. His understanding, and using his seemingly casual, spontaneous questions often cure what no medicine could ever reach. He is a friend to everyone. In him all place their trust that is absolute.

This is an overwhelming book to read even though the time you may spend reading and looking through it may be brief. For Mr. Berger and Ms. Mohr raise and document the most fundamental concerns we all have, how this Doctor deals with them, and how most of the world does not.

The Author says that our Society wastes by "enforced hypocrisy"; emptying lives it does not destroy. Dr. Sassall is the answer to this future containing nothing, and his story is presented in a way that will move you, as few books of any genre will do.

John Berger is know around the world as a Renaissance Man, one who can write criticism, plays, novels, short stories, and can even paint the occasional work of art. But I humbly submit that this may be his best work, one that examines the relationship between a country doctor and his community. Sadly the time period of the piece, the 1960s, are gone and the entire institution of the general practitioner, complete with house calls and lollipops for the children. But the questions he asks are searching ones that hinge on the very fundamental human relations that modernity is radically changing.

What is a human life worth? He won't give you any answers, because he trusts you to think about all this for years to come. An exceptional work.

as a physician and surgeon, I felt deeply moved by John Berger's words and Jean Mohr's pictures... despite the awesome advancements in both medicine & surgery, the essence of physician-hood lies within those finely distilled moments between physician and patient. The relationship between physician and patient has slowly eroded since Berger's extended essay. Yet as I intermittently re-read the text and stare at the all-too-familiar scenes of suffering and personal anguish, I experience a sense of hope and become acutely aware of the necessity of remaining a staunch advocate for my patients.

A photo journey through the professional life of an exceptional man and a healer in the broad sense and not just a specialist; John Berger's writing is poetic, accurate, with a keen eye for social observation, and Jean Mohr's pictures are, each one, a short story or an essay without words.

Beautiful, thoughtful, thought-provoking writing in a fascinating setting, from a sophisticated, personally philosophical point of view. Collaborative writing w/photography.

I read this book for the first time as an undergraduate in 1987, now as a graduate student in health care, I'm realizing the wealth of information about how an effective system of care looks like. It's not the HMO approach, it's the approach that keeps one close to the ground in their community.

If you care about people and health care systems, read this book!

I am not erudite literati but , according to my feeling (judgment ? - how do I define it ), within last century , or so, two authors who high lit medical and humanistic dialectic unity are Chekhov and Axel Munthe. Now I would add Berger's
" Fortunate man ".
Chekhov : a predecessor, and example of personal sacrifices (he volunteered to spend years in far eastern Siberia attending to health of prisoners there- well ahead of modern era of "Les
Medecines sans Frontiers"). His short stories with typically Russian soul searching flavor will remain classic.
Axel Munthe : in " The Story of San Michele " enchanting narrative of outstanding physician.
And now Berger's : "Fortunate Man". - It is not an essay with "Take home lessons" but rather with " Take home reflections". There is no plot. We learn little of hero's personal private life. Yet in era of two trends in attitudes of health providers -American, you get what you pay for, and , in the rest of civilized world, so called "socialized Medicine", frequently impersonal and alienated from patient, account of practice in rural England by a country doctor is endearing.
Just as in Chekhov and Axel Munthe writings we find in Berger's narrative example of humane interaction between doctor and his patients.
As suggested in the conclusion of the book , we are left with developing our own moral and social judgments.
And this is what is expected from good book.