A Map of the Child: A Pediatrician's Tour of the Body [Paperback]

Darshak Sanghavi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2004

“A delightful, quirky, awe-inspiring journey . . . Sanghavi is a vivid and effortless teller of human tales and quite evidently a special doctor, too.” —Atul Gawande, author of Complications

In this compelling book, Dr. Darshak Sanghavi takes the reader on a dramatic tour of a child’s eight vital organs, beginning with the lungs and proceeding through the heart, blood, bones, brain, skin, gonads, and gut.

Along the way, we meet children and families in extraordinary circumstances—a premature baby named Adam Flax who was born with undeveloped lungs, a teenage boy with a positive pregnancy test, and a young girl who keeps losing weight despite her voracious appetite. In a deeply personal narrative, Sanghavi provides a richly detailed—and humanized—portrait of how the pediatric body functions in both sickness and health.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The author, a pediatrician and father, presents the complexities of his specialty in this engaging and informative medical narrative. Drawing on case studies, Sanghavi details what can go wrong in each part of a child's body and what medical science can or can't do about it. Sanghavi guides readers through his medical routine: in Japan, working with a team of pediatric cardiologists, he assists in the successful operation on a three-month-old infant with a blockage on the right side of his heart. However, despite the advances of medical technology, some children cannot be saved. Bobby, a five-year-old with cystic fibrosis, undergoes treatment every few months for his damaged lungs, but despite the best efforts of physicians his condition will continue to deteriorate. Throughout these accounts of seriously ill children, the author's strong commitment to his patients and his profession shines through. Although Sanghavi's initial motivation was to increase the reader's awareness of pediatric medicine, he comes to a personal realization that he has to make a leap from seeing "lungs and hearts" to "seeing whole people." Especially moving is a description of the author's feelings of medical helplessness when his father was dying and there were no more treatment options.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Structuring his book to follow patient rounds at the Children's Hospital in Boston, where he did his training in pediatrics, Sanghavi takes the reader on a tour of discovery through eight organ systems of a child's body, beginning with the lungs and ending with the gut. He describes how these systems work and what happens when something goes wrong, recounting true case studies that range from the commonplace (broken bones) to the peculiar (a teenage boy with a positive pregnancy test). Sanghavi also shares his personal insights into the ideology of being a compassionate physician. An outstanding quality of this work is that it shows how the author handles controversial issues, such as abortion and child abuse, in an objective and level-headed manner. Sanghavi's humanism is encouraging in today's world of high-tech, bottom-line medical care. His very readable book is a good resource for parents, as well as educators, social workers, and healthcare personnel who interact with children. Recommended for wellness collections and high school, public, and medical libraries seeking authoritative personal narratives about medicine.
Deborah Broocker, Georgia Perimeter Coll. Lib., Dunwoody, GA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805075119
• ISBN-13: 978-0805075113
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Experience life as a pediatrician, May 31, 2004

By 

Less High Fructose (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Map of the Child: A Pediatrician's Tour of the Body (Paperback)

This book is a highly readable journey ranging from intensely personal experiences and explanations of the underpinnings of childhood medical ailments. Dr. Sanghavi explains case studies like a master storyteller, so that the reader learns experientially, which is much more enjoyable than perusing a dry textbook. It is not a comprehensive handbook of what ails children, nor is it meant to be. But it does give insight on a wide variety of medical conditions that may affect your child or the children of friends and family. Besides being appealing to any parent, this book will appeal to those who are fascinated by the function of the human body, what life would be like as a pediatrician, and current thinking on a variety of medical debates, including homeopathic medicine, medical opinion and knowledge in the courtroom, and prenatal care. This book is an educational and touching way to see life through the eyes of a thoughtful and academic pediatrician.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling for any parent, May 1, 2003

By 

Robert (jossalyn) Emslie (San Gabriel, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Map of the Child: A Pediatrician's Tour of the Body (Hardcover)

A fabulous book. As a father and the husband of a doctor, I have a keen interest in the subject of this book. Dr. Sanghavi writes with such enthusiasm, compassion and lack of ego that the layperson is drawn into the often confusing and exclusive world of medicine. His historical references, which back up or explain a current case, are fascinating. I hope this will not be the only time we hear from Dr. Sanghavi.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal, November 30, 2006

By 

Sarah F. "Sarah F." (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Map of the Child: A Pediatrician's Tour of the Body (Paperback)

As an undergraduate interested in pediatrics but without an extensive knowledge of the body as of yet, this book was absolutely wonderful. Dr. Sanghavi provides a frank, honest view of children's health that I couldn't put down. Wonderful book.