“Do No Harm” by Henry Marsh

I’ve been reading a lot of books by doctors about their jobs lately. This one felt different from the rest of them. Marsh does not approach this book with some sort of thesis or point to prove with it, instead it feels as though he is simply telling stories about his work. Sure, they add up to a couple overarching themes throughout his work, but it doesn’t feel as though he’s hitting you over the head with them, they just manifest naturally.

This makes it feel as though it is a novel about a surgeon, rather than a memoir. Marsh’s writing style is smooth and familiar, making it easy to follow even when some medical jargon pops up. The chapters also appear to be in no well-defined order, definitely not chronological. We aren’t taken through Marsh’s career so much as highlighting various pieces that spring to mind.

It’s probably worth mentioning that he has had quite a career as well. His stories go from Ukraine to the UK, and he even discusses his mother’s death and his son’s illness. It’s well worth the read, simply to hear about his adventures through medicine.

Beyond the plot, the reader learns about neuroscience and its limits. The general public thinks of doctors as these magic healers that can fix you right up, but the reality is that they are human and fallible just like the rest of us. Marsh doesn’t shy away from his mistakes here, but he also supplies a commentary with it to tell us what he is feeling during it, and afterwards. This is not a perspective usually employed in these books, not many doctors feel comfortable talking about their mistakes and even less effectively get us within their mindset at the time of it.

If you are curious about doctors or considering becoming one yourself, I would definitely check this book out. The narration is spot-on, and the stories are fascinating. It feels as though you too are sucked into the world of medicine, if only for a short time.