Pete and Tillie

Someone once said that the art of medicine is to amuse the patient while nature heals the disease. A few believe that doctors are able to restore a scrambled egg to its shell. A doctor's task is to distinguish between the small proportion of ailments that are serious or life-threatening and the vast majority that are benign, self-limiting, or easily put right. His task is blending science with the art of medicine - a listening ear, patience, and compassion. The episodes recounted here are based on a medical practice that has spanned four decades, although most take place in the 80s and early 90s. During these years there have been many advances in medicine, some of which are chronicled in this book. The tales are about actual patients, but the particulars have been combined, shuffled like a deck of cards, embellished, and modified. There is comedy and heartbreak, conditions familiar and obscure, even a little research interspersed with tales of the unbelievable and creative ways in which people abuse their bodies, and then demand that doctors reverse the damage. The characters in this book are sophisticated and knowledgeable, na ve and ignorant, wretched, sweet, and sometimes infuriating, but always fascinating.