Customer Reviews

The Neglected and Abused: A Physician's Year in Haiti

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2 star:		(1)
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Bentevegna, in his simple and straightforward writing style, is sure to gain the attention and interest of readers. As a predecessor to a first trip to Haiti, I found this book extremely useful in an understanding of the people and the poor state of medical care in Haiti. An excellent choice for both those recently becoming familiar with this fascinating country and experts alike.

While so much of what we read and hear about Haiti centers around changes in government, U.S. intervention, United Nations involvement, and government repression and corruption, this book offers a glimpse into the lives of the silent majority in Haiti: the poorest of the poor. Having just returned from Haiti, I can attest to the truth in Dr. Bentivegna's observations, and I was struck by how his words matched the memories I have of what I observed. In his Introduction, he makes the point that when the "biological dice" were rolled, he (and by extension, most of us lucky enough to be born in America) "got double sixes." Most of us have never had to beg for food or scramble for a place to sleep. Our biggest concerns about health care relate to its cost, not its quality or availability. Few of us resort to selling our prescribed medications in order to obtain food. We are so fortunate in ways that are so basic we can't help but taking them for granted. By an accident of birth, any of us, no matter how wealthy or important, could have been born in that environment.

I found the book to be most interesting and yet almost unbelieveable at the same time. To think that in our age of advancement and technology, there are still some that live in such abject poverty is unfathomable. The Haitian people, dispite their unfortunate living and health conditions, still seem to remain accepting and almost positive in their outlook on life. They surely deserve our admiration and most definitely our help.

Dr. Bentivegna opened my eyes to the pain and despair in the everyday life of a Hatian national. It is remarkable how these desparate people can have a postitive outlook on life even though they live with some of the harshest economic and social conditions in the world today. This book is must reading for anyone who is interested in Haiti, Third World socio-economic conditions, or the marvels of basic physcian techniques. The book is easy reading and very gripping in it's details about everyday life in Haiti

As a pre-med major hoping to work in Third World Countries, this book speaks straight to my heart. Bentivegna is brilliant and completely honest about the suffering in Haiti. I found myself laughing in earnest at his awkward culture shock and horrified by the people that came to him for help. He has a heart of gold and a mind to match; his spirit and humanity are revealed to the public and I am in awe of his character. Bentivegna is a man I would have loved to meet and work alongside of in Haiti and his book is a testament of his work. I recommend this for anyone and everyone. It is wildly intellectual without seeming dull. It is shocking, grotesque and painful, but very true. I have seen Haiti with my eyes and he speaks from the heart with real clarity.

"Neglected and Abused" is a must read for anyone going to Haiti as a medical volunteer (or anyone going to Haiti for any reason). I was captivated by Dr. Joe's tales of medicine in a country with so few resources. I have been going to Haiti as a medical missionary for two years now and I found this book to be an excellent account of the medical situation in Haiti. I think this book would be a wise read for anyone planning a trip to give you an idea of what you are about to face. Dr. Joe's experience took place in the late 1980's before the embargo and the subsequent further deterioration of the health situation in Haiti. Keep that in mind when you read this book - things are worse now.

I am not Haitian, but I have been to Haiti many times and the book seems to present a very realistic picture of the people and problems in Haiti. Dr. Bentivegna simply tells it like it is--he realizes that problems like malnutrition, unsanitary water, and lack of vaccination programs and birth control compound any doctor's best efforts to provide medical care to the poor in Haiti. He does not hide his frustration as he encounters these things and others as his year in Haiti progresses. Along these lines, he states in the epilogue: "The problems that initially seemed so easy to solve became infinitely complex the better I understood them" (p. 161).

The title of the last chapter in the book is "Questions Without Answers," and includes story upon story of ethical dilemmas he encountered in Haiti (which are so different from the dilemmas encountered in 1st-world medicine), and how he chose to act in these situations. They illustrate how gray the lines can be, and how he had to, as he says, "play God" in Haiti. He also points out the problems that occur when people and groups attempt to impliment short-term solutions to long-term problems. It's very eye-opening.

In the midst of this, it is obvious that Dr. Bentivegna loves and respects the Haitian people, and that he is torn by their plight. Sadly, though this book was written more than a decade ago, it might as well have been written last month. We can only hope and pray that Aristide's leadership will bring infrastructural changes and economic development to Haiti in the coming years. It is only these things, as Bentivegna notes, that will provide long-term change in Haiti.

Despite this book being a little bit older, it is still relevant. It is an excellent review of Haitian medicine, as seen by an American. A great, great read. Buy it, if you're going on a short-term or long-term missions trip. 10 stars!

I am not a doctor or a nurse or trained in medicine whatsoever but I am very interested in the nation of Haiti and it's people and culture. I also WISH I was trained in medicine! So it is with that background I picked up this book. I was engrossed from beginning to end with the doctor's tales of working with an order of nuns in a hospital. He describes the maladies he had to treat and the difficulties of practicing medicine in a country where education on health topics is sorely lacking and supplies and trained personelle are not widely available. He also includes stories of his personal encounters with people and how they have effected his views on medicine and on life. Although there are some medical terms and ideas presented in this book there is nothing to difficult for the lay person to digest. I actually learned a lot about tropical diseases from this book! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Haiti, practicing medicine or both!

Certainly a labor of love on the author's part. I have worked in Haiti many times and overseas for several years and I would not recommend this to anyone travelling to Haiti for medical work. I appreciated his experiences and viewpoints but found it overall cynical and shallow. It seems more of term paper quality than bookworthy.