Philadelphia, April 8, 2014 — On Being a Doctor, volume 4, is the latest collection of prose and poetry by physicians and patients relating individual experiences in medicine. Published by the American College of Physicians (ACP), the softcover book is compiled from pieces originally published in the "On Being a Doctor," "On Being a Patient," and "Ad Libitum" sections of Annals of Internal Medicine, ACP's peer-reviewed medical journal, between 2007 and 2013.
"The pieces in On Being a Doctor embody the drama of great literature, capturing the joy, suffering, loss, miracle, and irony experienced by doctors and patients alike," said co-editor Michael A. LaCombe, MD, MACP.
The fourth edition of On Being a Doctor is a collection of more than 100 stories, essays, and poems in nine sections ranging from "Those Who Are Our Patients" and "Balancing the Personal and the Professional" to "The Doctor Becomes a Patient" and "Death and Dying."
"Whether it is the story about a gift to a physician from an indigent patient, an essay on the personal statement, or the humor of trying to phone a colleague at another hospital, you cannot read On Being a Doctor without being inspired, appalled, haunted, and deeply moved," said co-editor Christine Laine, MD, FACP, who is also editor of Annals of Internal Medicine.
A digital version of the book will be available.
"These writings go beyond the stereotypical image of medicine as we've known it. A fitting title for the collection could be: 'On Being a Person — While Also Being a Doctor,'" said Frank F. Davidoff, MD, MACP, who guided the series as editor of Annals of Internal Medicine from 1995 to 2001.
To order On Being a Doctor, visit www.acponline.org/acppress or call ACP Customer Service at 800-523-1546, extension 2600 (M-F, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. ET). The list price is $31.00. ACP members pay $24.95. The book has 372 pages. The product number is 330341000. The ISBN number is: 978-1-938921-07-0.
About the Editors
Dr. LaCombe is a writer who has practiced internal medicine and cardiology for more than 35 years in rural Maine. He is former director of cardiology at Maine General Medical Center in Augusta. He is the author of "Bedside: The Art of Medicine" published by the University of Maine Press. Dr. LaCombe is associate editor of the "On Being a Doctor," "On Being a Patient," and "Ad Libitum" sections of Annals of Internal Medicine. He is editor of the compilations "On Being a Doctor," first and second editions, and, with Dr. Laine, is co-editor of "On Being a Doctor 3."
Dr. Laine is an internist, researcher, and medical educator. She is the editor of Annals of Internal Medicine, published by ACP. She is affiliated with Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia where she is a clinical associate professor of medicine in the Division of Internal Medicine. Dr. Laine and Dr. LaCombe are co-editors of "The Last Half Hour of the Day: An Anthology of Stories and Essays That Have Inspired Physicians" also published by the ACP.