Mortal Lessons: Notes on the Art of Surgery [Paperback]

Richard Selzer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0156004003 | ISBN-13: 978-0156004008 | Edition: Reprint

In this collection of nineteen unforgettable essays, Dr. Selzer describes unsparingly the surgeon’s art. Both moving and perversely funny, Mortal Lessons is an established classic that considers not only the workings and misworkings of the human body but also the meaning of life and death. With a Preface written by the Author especially for this edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Brace; Reprint edition (April 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156004003
• ISBN-13: 978-0156004008
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,714 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Must read for all medical professionals October 30, 1999

By mcpaiva

Format:Paperback

There is an innate beauty in the structure of the human body. The mystery of the intricate brain, the poetry of blood rushing through vessels, organs working together to keep the body working in unison. Dr. Richard Selzer's collection of essays Mortal Lessons: Notes on the Art of Surgery, captures the essence of a surgeons life from the most intimate of perspectives. Mortal Lessons is a thoughtful, introspective recollection of Selzer's own experiences as a surgeon. Commonly thought of as distant, unfeeling practitioners, Selzer humanizes the entire profession as he recounts patients, cases, fellow doctors, and the human body through years of practical experience. Selzer's gifted, conversational style of writing eases the horror of exploring the liver, 'belly', skin, and various elements of the human body through the eyes of the surgeon. But it is outside the operating theater that Selzer truly shines in this collection of essays. Perhaps the most touching episode of Mortal Lessons is the brief postoperative discussion which transpires between Selzer and a young couple, the wife of whom he has just left scarred for life. Selzer, traumatized by being forced to cut a nerve in the woman's cheek to remove a tumor, answers the couple's questions. 'Who are they, I ask myself, he and this wry mouth I have made, who gaze at and touch each other so generously, greedily? The young woman speaks. "Will my mouth always be like this?" she asks? "Yes," I say, "it will. It is because the nerve was cut." She nods and is silent. But the young man smiles. "I like it," he says. "It is kind of cute." All at once I know who he is. I and understand, and I lower my gaze. One is not bold in an encounter with a god. Unmindful, he bends to kiss her crooked mouth, and I so close I can see how he twists his own lips to accommodate to hers, to show her that their kiss still works. I remember that the gods appeared in ancient Greece as mortals, and I hold my breath and let the wonder in.' Selzer, page 46 The impact of Selzer's work is diminished as he reaches for the words and phrases in the section of the book titled "The Body". The essays become more clinical in their orientation and demeanor. Although it is intriguing to learn the structure of the liver, the storytelling loses the humanistic value that Selzer exhibits in other sections of the book, such as in the essay titled "Abortion." Straight forward but personal, Selzer recounts witnessing a late-term abortion. It is a procedure that Selzer has never contemplated previously and holds no apparent opinions about. But as we are taken into the operating suite, introduced to the patient, and walked through the process of the abortion, a picture develops in the readers eye that is difficult to dismiss. Sympathizing with Selzer, it is easy to believe that a murder has taken place between the sterile confines of the hospital walls. Mortal Lessons is an intelligent, well written book that appeals even to those outside the medical profession. And for those men and women just entering the medical profession, it is a must read guide on how to treat patients.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspires both awe and laughter May 26, 1999

By David Graham

Format:Paperback

As a fellow surgeon with a love for literature and the marvels of the human body, I found Dr. Selzer's book tickled both my fancy and my funnybone. He is enthusiastic for sharing his reverence at the amazing complexity and function of our bodies (as well as its grievous shortcomings), yet he is still able to regale the reader with mischievous humor and steady doses of comic relief. I found this one of the funniest books I had read in several years. Many of the chapters in the last half of the book are not, as the subtitle would suggest, 'notes on the art of surgery'. They deal with things as different as bird watching, abortion, smoking, car sickness, and childhood memories from the classroom. Although they do not supplement the first half of the book with further descriptions about the art of surgery, they do add spice to an already meaty book about ourselves.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Initimate and poetic exploration of the body January 22, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Richard Selzer is a surgeon with a poet's ear for language. Even when writing about the liver or amputation of a diabetic foot, Selzer can make the reader see the beauty and the wonder of the body. When I was hospitalized last month, I showed it to my doctor and he too marvelled at the grasp Selzer has of medical facts and good writing.