Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital
Contents:
The author was allowed to tell too much of his own personal non-medical story so that he comes across as super-humanly wise, kind and intelligent. Lastly, he attempted to tell the story through "dialogue". Which is good show don't tell but the conversations are long-winded, boring and unbelievable as a reflection of how people actually i. Feb 02, Claire rated it it was ok Shelves: Only a few chapters in and still interested, but the author could really have used an editor interested in cutting out the countless unnecessary details.
Finally finished and I'm not sure why I stuck with it. The patients' stories were interesting but the writing was not very good. The author wandered frequently, and while I love a good tangent, these did little to add to the story or my interest. He includes so many tiny details that do not need to be there. I think this book would have been gr Only a few chapters in and still interested, but the author could really have used an editor interested in cutting out the countless unnecessary details. I think this book would have been greatly benefited by a good editor who could have chopped out the ramblings and pushed for more direction.
I admire this man's career and outlook but not his writing. Oct 03, Pam Carmichael rated it it was amazing Shelves: This was written by a doctor and man it was great. If you want to know how the inside of a hospital really works this is a great start. Got it from the library and was right into it. Bellevue it not a bad hospital like people think, it is a hard working one which treats all kinds of things and the doctor is so interesting I could not put it down! If you get a chance pick it up, I promise you will really enjoy it! Jul 22, Tracy Fitzpatrick rated it liked it. The stories about the patients were very interesting.
I found some parts a little dry. Jul 01, Nancy rated it did not like it Shelves: I picked up this book because I found the title compelling. I figured it would be an interesting peek behind the storied walls of Bellevue by someone who's been there and done that. Yeah, not so much. Reading this was comparable to slogging through the waist high muddy swamp in that one film The concept of this book is nice, in theory, each chapter highlights one patient's story and includes enough family details that you will very quickly lose track of I picked up this book because I found the title compelling.
The concept of this book is nice, in theory, each chapter highlights one patient's story and includes enough family details that you will very quickly lose track of who's who, and then goes on to make some point about what is wrong with society today, including prison overcrowding, the problems faced by immigrants, Obamacare, and on, and on, etc. As I said, the concept of the book is nice, though the author is very, very wordy.
He talks about being woken up in the middle of the night to tend to a very sick patient, but first stopping off for a quadruple macchiato and tipping the barista and on and on, and where was this going again? Oh, yeah, a very sick patient There were segments of this book that were actually interesting, such as his details about how parts of Bellevue are less hospital and more extensions of Riker's Island, and the courtroom contained within.
Those were the good parts, the parts I wanted to know more about, but alas was treated instead to the lengthy backstory of one character or another. There were so many characters in each chapter that it was impossible to keep them all straight, and so by the time that one dies off, the reader feels no connection to that person and certainly has no emotional bond. In the end, I simply could not finish this book. It is rare that I give up on a book but there was just no point in me continuing on.
May 18, David rated it it was amazing. I've been on a kick reading books by doctors about the practice of medicine, and this is one of the finest. Far more than just a series of case histories, though it includes that, this is a literary text, as good as any book of fiction, with a strong voice, wonderfully wrought images and characters, and a goal of exploring the lives of people, both patients and doctors. I wish this author was a friend so that I could go out to dinner with him and just listen to his stories.
Smart, engaging, full I've been on a kick reading books by doctors about the practice of medicine, and this is one of the finest. Smart, engaging, full of honest reflection without ego and with a clear sense of care for everyone who comes into the hospital. Oct 18, CD rated it it was ok Shelves: This was not exactly, or probably even vaguely what I expected when I started reading. A balanced slice of life work that perhaps leans a bit more towards the sadder and tragic part of life.
Of course this is from Bellevue Hospital in New York. Along with Bellevue's great successes and happy moments there is indeed much from the other end of the spectrum.
Early in the book the comparisons between U. An example of the fairly accurate assessment and comparison of healthcare is overlaid with a heavy hand on to the story of a dying young man from Mexico. An increasing familiarity among the general public with 12 step programs and recovery has induced more than one non-fiction author of late to include their experience. That experience has come to the point of being a required element for many whether it is their own personal travail, or one they can use as a vicarious inclusion.
Almost doesn't work in this work. Overall it is a well intended book I believe, but just not a page turner in the usual sense. So many books have been written about the goings on in the medical world both fiction and non-fiction, that another one needs a good hook to stand out. This one does have unique stories including the author as a patient, but after that it quickly becomes another pedestrian story. Not bad, just not that great. If you run across a copy any chapter or two is worth perusing. After that it may be one more book that sits on a pile waiting to be fininished.
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Jul 27, Charlotte added it. HAD to finish this book, if only to say I did. Did not enjoy this book. I liked the parts about pt. Every chapter had a lecture about how America deals with illegale immigrants, obesity,hospital budgets, pt. Did not like being lectured to after each Pt.
I found that the author used this book as a platform for his beliefs, wh HAD to finish this book, if only to say I did. I found that the author used this book as a platform for his beliefs, which most of them were just stated without any suggestion as to how to implement his ideas. Jul 23, Diana rated it liked it Shelves: This book focused on 12 patients that the author felt had an impact on his life while he was working as the medical director at Bellevue Hospital in New York. Some of the stories he told in the book almost made me cry.
I have a few chronic illnesses, but I cannot imagine what some of these people went through before unfortunately dying from their health issues. I thought it was a good book, but probably not something I'll ever read again. Jul 22, Matthew Dixon rated it did not like it. The subject matter fascinates but the book goes off the rails almost immediately and stays there.
Twelve Patients, One Ailing Book: 'Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital'
The physician who wrote it has limited writing skills. But more than that, every case chronicle comes back to the doctor himself and his own life, habits, loves, etc. Just way too self-absorbed. Sep 03, Gabriele Ott rated it it was amazing. But this book also teaches you about humility, history, compassion and just genuine caring.
Well written and one could just hope to have a doctor like Eric Manheimer, who truly deeply cares about his profession after years and years. Sep 06, Melissa Dally rated it it was ok Shelves: Wow, this could've been so much better. The parts where he sticks to discussing the patients and their stories really is interesting. The parts where he digresses and goes off on tangents and tangents to those tangents is just boring. I wish they could clean this up, it would rate at least another star two more stars if the parts where he gets judgmental were removed.
Oct 29, Diane rated it really liked it. Twelve Patients is a memoir and more written by the former 13 year medical director of Bellevue Hospital, the oldest public hospital in NYC. This story was the inspiration for the new , weekly medical series, New Amsterdam, which we've been watching and enjoying. As Manheimer is put in charge with getting the medical team and hospital back on track, he a;p learns he has cancer and is forced to deal with his own illness. In addition to his story we read the stories of 12 different patients Twelve Patients is a memoir and more written by the former 13 year medical director of Bellevue Hospital, the oldest public hospital in NYC.
In addition to his story we read the stories of 12 different patients in medical crisis, Many of the stories involve individuals who never benefited from preventative health services before their situations reached too critical to cure levels. From prison inmates, illegal immigrants, the homeless and even a Wall Street executive, were just some of the stories Manheimer shares. Some of these stories end well, some do not, but, it was easy to be drawn into lives of these patients.
Overall, this was a decent read, even though I found the details about government regulations and drug companies a little dry and less interesting than the rest of the book. If you like non-fiction or stories of medical crises, try this one. Oct 13, Jessica rated it it was ok. I read this because I enjoyed the new television series New Amsterdam and knew it was loosely based on this book.
The history of Bellevue itself is fascinating so I thought a modern record of twelve patients would be engrossing. Unfortunately, the author doesn't really discuss the cases of the patients so much as he pontificates with absurdly long metaphors. He also jumps all over the place.
One minute he's recounting something that happened on one date and then he's suddenly jumped several mont I read this because I enjoyed the new television series New Amsterdam and knew it was loosely based on this book. One minute he's recounting something that happened on one date and then he's suddenly jumped several months forward or backwards on one page without a segue. I also found it off putting that every single time he introduced a new colleague, friend, patient, or family member he went to great lengths to describe them by skin color or ethnic orgin.
He'd spend paragraphs on it. This book would have been far better with a skilled editor and some brevity. For a fascinating look at Bellevue from it's inception to modern times I would suggest instead David Oshinsky's book, Bellevue: May 01, David Meyer rated it really liked it. The book is written by the Medical Director at Bellevue Hospital. As the title alludes, the book follows the stories of twelve different patients, going deep into their back story, and how they came to be at Bellevue, some not for the first time.
Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital by Eric Manheimer
The patient's and their problems couldn't be much more varied, but overall help to serve as examples of the issues with the medical field. From my own experiences working in healthcare, I would say I've had similar horrors watching patients try to navig The book is written by the Medical Director at Bellevue Hospital. From my own experiences working in healthcare, I would say I've had similar horrors watching patients try to navigate the system, and working hard to navigate the system to help those patients from the inside. The author discusses his own journey through a cancer diagnosis and treatment throughout the book.
Overall, this is an interesting read provided through a unique perspective. Dec 04, Nancy rated it liked it. Behind the scenes at a large, inner city hospital by a former medical director at Bellevue Hospital. The stories of the 12 patients were fascinating and varied- from the hospital prison unit to the emergency room, the population often served by Bellevue includes prisoners from nearby Rikers Island, legal and undocumented immigrants, and many people who live in poverty even if they are working.
It brings to light the problems with health insurance or lack of it for many families particulary when Behind the scenes at a large, inner city hospital by a former medical director at Bellevue Hospital. It brings to light the problems with health insurance or lack of it for many families particulary when battling an intense or chronic illness.
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Many of the stories were sad, but I am sure typical of big city hospitals and the choices people face. I thought it was a worthwhile read. Nov 18, Yoursexylibrarian rated it it was ok. I really liked this book in the beginning. Abut halfway through, I started disliking the book and the author's point of view.
By patient ten, I hated the book. In the Kindle edition, each patient has his or her own chapter, which are about 45 minutes each. It seemed never-ending during some of the chapters. The author is a doctor. In some parts of the book, he comes across as sincere and intelligent.
Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital
In other parts, he was a bit of a pompous ass. I did not appreciate his discussions about traveli I really liked this book in the beginning. I did not appreciate his discussions about traveling, his second home outside the country, and his opinion on abused patients. I failed to finish the last two chapters because reading this book was sadly beginning to feel like torture. Feb 03, Annette Prall rated it liked it. Manheimer clearly has a huge heart for the underserved population, those who would often fall through the cracks of society. However, I did feel it was a little preachy at times.
After all, the patients he describes were receiving high quality care at Bellavue, despite their inability to pay, addictions, undocumented status, mental illness, etc. To me that's evidence that Americans are generous to the downtrodden, which is something to celebrate, not mourn the way the author seemed to do so Dr. To me that's evidence that Americans are generous to the downtrodden, which is something to celebrate, not mourn the way the author seemed to do so often in this book. May 15, Apexx rated it it was amazing.
Like many memoirists, he appears to have an uncanny memory for dialogue. This is in service to the book, but denies plausibility. This is not to say Manheimer is trying to mislead readers. But much of the more awkward dialogue could be eliminated in favor of description. This wordiness pulls the reader from the action—the patients, their families, their doctors and caregivers. We meet Juan Guerra, a year-old career criminal dying of cancer. Despite multiple incarcerations, drug problems, and terminal illness, Guerra has managed to keep his family together, including his devoted wife of 35 years.
The hospital staff secures his freedom so he can go home to die. The next chapter is devoted to Tanisha, a young woman of tremendous inner strength. A lifelong foster child, she has been raped countless times, repeatedly running away from abusive families. Once, early in her life, she stayed briefly with a family who loved her. When the matriarch died, Tanisha was moved again. Incredibly, joyously, they remember her fondly, and despite their limited income, welcome her home. Manheimer counts himself amongst the 12 patients.
He developed a squamous cell carcinoma near his throat, necessitating grueling treatment—platinum chemotherapy and radiation. His weight dropped from a healthy pounds to a skeletal Unable to swallow, he dripped Ensure through a line into his belly. Radiation left him too exhausted to function. He attributes much of his recovery to wife Diana. Octavio Salcedo, an illegal immigrant working in the States, also develops a squamous cell carcinoma, but is less fortunate that his doctor.
At age 32, his body is literally rotting from cancer; one leg, beyond rescue, has been amputated at the hip. There's nothing for him but a morphine pump. He wishes to die at home, in Mexico, where he can be with his children. His young wife stands by staunchly, soon to be a penniless widow with small children.
Again, we are shown the tremendous lengths Manheimer and his excellent staff will go to so the Salcedos may have their final wish. Their heroic efforts will leave only the most heartless reader dry-eyed. A story about Arnie, a Wall Street high-flyer who loses everything to drug and alcohol addiction, is less cohesive yet still saddening. While it's easy to hate a man who grew wealthy off the losses of others, Arnie pays dearly.
Even when he manages to clean up, he's left unemployed, with the fallout of angry ex-wives and deeply troubled adult children. Closing this vignette, Manheimer writes: Thirty-nine-year-old Soraya Molino, a single mother, is near death from heart failure. Even as Soraya wins over the hospital staff and her landlord, who marries her, the new heart arrives too late. At this point the stories in Twelve Patients are no less urgent, but it appears the editors split for the Hamptons. While Manheimer acknowledges that nobody is forced to consume unhealthy foods, he is firmly in the camp who feels corporate food conglomerates are at fault for the rise in diabetes and obesity.
The hopelessly Schizophrenic Jeffrey represents mental illness and the many ways it goes untreated. Manheim is quick to cite the persistent lack of funding necessary to care for this intractable illness. The bullet entered her groin. She almost bleeds to death before the hospital, simultaneously dealing with a wealthy lawyer who is also bleeding, gives the wrong blood to each patient. A woman who is the child of disappeared parents. I'm not trying to write unkindly of Dr. Certainly he is skilled, generous, and devoted.
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