Amazon.com: White Coat, Clenched Fist: The Political Education of an American Physician (Conversations in Medicine and Society) (9780472031979): Fitzhugh Mullan: Books
In the sixties, Fitzhugh Mullan was an activist in the civil rights struggle. While in medical school, Mullan was shocked by gaps in what the students learned, and the lack of humanity in the classroom. Later, Dr. Mullan was outraged at the conditions he discovered when he began to practice. He helped found the Student Health Organization, organized the Controversial Medical Collective at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, and struggled to offer improved medical care to those who needed it most and could afford it least.
This landmark book charts the state of medical school and practices in the 1960s and 70s. This new edition is updated with a preface in which Dr. Mullan reflects on the changes in the medical field over the last thirty-plus years.
Fitzhugh Mullan is Murdock Head Professor of Medicine and Health Policy at George Washington University. He worked at the U.S. Public Health Service where he attained the rank of Assistant Surgeon General (1991-1996). Dr. Mullan is the co-founder of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship and the author of numerous books, including Plagues and Politics: The Story of the United States Public Health Service, and his most recent book, Narrative Matters: The Power of the Personal Essay in Health Policy.
In 1967 I married my knight on a white horse, a medical student. We had not seen each other much over the previous 2 years so I did not fully understand what he had become involved in. It scared me, this new life of his, so much, that a year later I packed up our new daughter and moved back home. I was so bewildered about the changes in our lives and just did not understand until I read this book. FitzHugh was a fellow intern with my former husband, at a South Bronx, NY hospital, and he was able to give me the understanding I needed to come to terms with the end of a dream. It was a valiant cause, and I wish I had known and understood more about it ahead of time. I may not have left. FitzHugh was the only one who gave up the main cause to devote his life to his wife and child and I applaud him to this day for that choice, but also for opening my eyes as to the reasons behind the decisions that my "white knight" made and lived by. Thanks, FitzHugh. I have never forgotten you, or this book. I do need to buy it again as I loaned it so many times, it has never come back. Nancy in Maine (formerly of Milwaukee)
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This review is from: White Coat, Clenched Fist: The Political Education of an American Physician (Conversations in Medicine and Society) (Paperback)
I am attending a course for Residents in Health Policy constructed by Fitz. He is a true altruist and personifies what it means to be a doctor. He has opened my eyes to health policy in America and the difficulties that politics creates for universal health. I highly recommend all his writings.
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