The Medicine of ER: An Insider's Guide to the Medical Science Behind America's #1 TV Drama [Paperback]

Alan Duncan Ross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 1997

ER is a television phenomenon that shows no signs of slowing down. Here is everything dedicated viewers need to know about what happens in a real ER, including clear explanations of how doctors zero in on diagnoses and step-by-step re-creations of the medical decisions and procedures from some of ER's most gripping episodes.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Fans of the television series ER who've wondered about the jargon that Mark Greene, John Carter, and the other staff bark out in the middle of the latest trauma case to roll through County General's doors can find it all explained here. Ross, a television producer, and Gibbs, an emergency room physician, use episodes of the popular show, defining the terms and procedures as they are used in real trauma care centers. They discuss how medical reality is sometimes sacrificed in the interests of a 60-minute drama, noting that the ER portrayed in the series is more like real-life ERs of 20 years ago (when Michael Crichton first penned the show) than ERs that patients experience today. The authors do a good job of describing the hows and whys of procedures and showing any disconnection between what is shown on screen and what really happens. Fun reading, this is not an essential purchase, but it is instructive, informative, and especially for fans.?Anne C. Tomlin, Auburn Memorial Hosp. Lib., N.Y.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

How factual are such popular, reality-based television dramas as NYPD Blue or ER? Devotees of the latter will get an eye-opening critique from coauthors Ross, a screenwriter, and Gibbs, a practicing emergency room doctor. After a dramatic opening of their own in which the reader, shot in a carjacking, is saved on the operating table, the authors handicap the credibility of the characters seen on ER. Ross and Gibbs, who have no apparent connection to the show, rate its verisimilitude fairly highly, but they unhesitatingly slam the program's errors, condemning the character of heartthrob actor George Clooney as having "the least in common with the real world of emergency medicine." On medical procedures, the authors delve into what various episodes have depicted about heart attacks, major trauma, and one Emmy-award winning C-section--which if performed in real life would have been malpractice! ("That's show biz," the authors shrug). Adding a last fillip of truth, they tabulate the huge bills various patients on the show would have incurred. Far more informative than the usual TV-oriented book, this snappily written (and soon to be heavily promoted) title is a welcome relief from the genre's fawning style. Gilbert Taylor --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (October 21, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060977329
• ISBN-13: 978-0060977320
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,397,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, and fun, information!, January 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Medicine of Er: Or, How We Almost Die (Hardcover)

This book was fun to read; A book about medicine has never been so readable! You don't have to be a doctor or a fan of the show to enjoy all the information about what would happen if you, or a loved one, ends up in the emergency room

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars UndERated, March 30, 2001

By 

"shermlab" (Bellingham, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Medicine of ER: An Insider's Guide to the Medical Science Behind America's #1 TV Drama (Paperback)

I think that the authors of this book really outdid themselves with this one. Having worked in a busy ER for sometime now, it is interesting to hear/see the ideas and beliefs of patients that they have learned my watching medical drama shows like "ER" and such. I wish that hospitals everywhere would buy millions of copies of this book and have them laminated and secured with metal cable to the chairs in the ER waiting area. The authors really "hit the nail on the head" with this piece. It pays omage to the millions of men and women who work their fingers to the bone in the ER's around the world. This book is a must for any students wanting to pursue a career in any field of emergency medicine.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Book, June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Medicine of ER: An Insider's Guide to the Medical Science Behind America's #1 TV Drama (Paperback)

I loved this book! I'm a die-hard ER fan, and I just wish that I'd found it sooner. It explains almost everything medical on ER from what a resident does to what the heck a crit is! Now I know what's happening on my favourite show!