Episode · People I (Mostly) Admire · 2023-10-14
Steve Levitt & Abraham Verghese: books mentioned on People I (Mostly) Admire #116
116. Abraham Verghese Thinks Medicine Can Do Better
Abraham Verghese is a physician and a best-selling author — in that order, he says. He explains the difference between curing and healing, and tells Steve why doctors should spend more time with patients and less with electronic health records.
Abraham Verghese discussed Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine by Tinsley R. Harrison, Gray's anatomy by Henry Gray F.R.S., Grey's Anatomy by Chris Van Dusen and others, Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, and The Citadel by AJ Cronin. Steve Levitt recommended The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club) by Abraham Verghese and My Own Country by Abraham Verghese.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine
Discussed“left their textbook Harrison's textbook of medicine on one of the ward counters the nurse in station and I saw that book and I had this cathartic sense that God all the stuff I studied all those long nights of memorizing graay anatomy and Harrison's textbook of medicine”
Where to get it
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Gray's anatomy
Discussed“left their textbook Harrison's textbook of medicine on one of the ward counters the nurse in station and I saw that book and I had this cathartic sense that God all the stuff I studied all those long nights of memorizing graay anatomy and Harrison's textbook of medicine”
Where to get it
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Grey's Anatomy
Discussed“Harrison's textbook of medicine on one of the ward counters the nursing station. And I saw that book and I had this cathartic sense that God all the stuff I studied all those long nights of memorizing Grey's Anatomy and Harrison's textbook of medicine.”
Where to get it
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Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe is a classic nineteenth-century novel that explores the harsh realities of slavery, migration, and human dignity, famously recognized for its immense historical impact on American social attitudes leading up to the Civil War.
Discussed“We think that Uncle Tom's Cabin is really more responsible for ending slavery than any other thing because the thought of slavery became untenable in the UK”
Where to get it
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The Citadel
The Citadel by AJ Cronin is a classic novel depicting the difficult medical conditions and harsh realities of life within a Welsh mining town.
Discussed“the National Health Service people say was born out of this one book The Citadel about a Welsh mining town in the medical conditions”
Where to get it
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The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club)
Abraham Verghese's The Covenant of Water is a sweeping, big-hearted epic novel set in Kerala, India, following a family over three generations that suffers from a peculiar affliction where at least one person dies by drowning in every generation.
Recommended“You might want to pick up his latest novel The Covenant of water it's been on the New York Times bestseller list for more than 20 weeks”
Where to get it
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My Own Country
My Own Country by Abraham Verghese is a poignant medical memoir chronicling the author's experiences as an infectious disease physician treating rural patients during the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Tennessee.
Recommended“my own personal favorite is his first book A Memoir in titled my own country a doctor story”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (5) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“He also writes novels Blockbuster award-winning bestsellers like cutting for stone and more recently the Covenant of water”
“He also writes novels Blockbuster award-winning bestsellers like cutting for stone and more recently the Covenant of water”
“and your first book entitled my own country is a memoir of that time”
“she's the founder of the website 538 and the author of the bestselling book The Signal and the noise”
“We're back with a brand new episode featuring data scientist Nate Silver. She’s the founder of the website 538 and the author of the bestselling book The Signal and the Noise.”