Why Should Doctors Read Medical Books?
Authors: Eric J. Cassell
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1997)

Medical Writings1 October 1997Why Should Doctors Read Medical Books?Eric J. Cassell, MDEric J. Cassell, MDCornell University Medical College; New York, NY 10021Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-127-7-199710010-00024 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Many of us were raised on the multiple-choice approach to knowledge. This method is frequently used for tests in medical school and on Board examinations. Too often, it is the fashion of teaching at the bedside as well: “Name three other things that present like …” or “List five etiologic factors in … .” One might object to calling this an approach to knowledge, saying that it does not produce literate, erudite, scholarly, intellectual, or polished physicians-words usually associated with the idea of knowledge. In fact, knowledge is not the word most often used to describe what is necessary to ...References1. A controlled trial to improve care for seriously ill hospitalized patients. The study to understand prognoses and preferences for outcomes and risks of treatments (SUPPORT). The SUPPORT Principal Investigators. JAMA. 1995; 274:1591-8. Google Scholar2. Curschmann H. Typhoid Fever and Typhus Fever. Translated by W. Osler. Philadelphia: Saunders; 1901. Google Scholar3. Osler W. The Principles and Practice of Medicine. New York: D Appleton; 1892. Google Scholar4. Smith HW. The Kidney: Structure and Function in Health and Disease. New York: Oxford Univ Pr; 1951. Google Scholar5. Toombs SK. The Meaning of Illness: A Phenomenological Account of the Different Perspectives of Physician and Patient. Boston: Kluwer; 1992. Google Scholar6. Hawkins AH. Reconstructing Illness: Studies in Pathography. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue Univ Pr; 1993. Google Scholar7. Brody H. Stories of Sickness. New Haven, CT: Yale Univ Pr; 1987. Google Scholar8. Kleinman A. The Illness Narratives: Suffering, Healing, and the Human Condition. New York: Basic Books; 1988. Google Scholar9. Hunter K. Doctor's Stories: The Narrative Structure of Medical Knowledge. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ Pr; 1991. Google Scholar10. Portenoy RK, Kanner R. Pain Management: Theory and Practice. Philadelphia: FA Davis; 1996. Google Scholar11. Waller A, Caroline NL. Handbook of Palliative Care in Cancer. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann; 1996. Google Scholar12. Byock I. Dying Well. New York: Riverhead Books; 1997. Google Scholar13. Sapira JD. The Art and Science of Bedside Diagnosis. Baltimore: Urban & Schwarzenberg; 1990. Google Scholar14. Shelley WB, Shelley ED. Advanced Dermatologic Diagnosis. Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 1992. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Cornell University Medical College; New York, NY 10021Current Author Address: Eric J. Cassell, MD, Cornell University Medical College, 1550 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited By'On being both professional and human': a responseTalking Cure and Curing TalkEvidence-based practice … and preachingLiminality: a major category of the experience of cancer illness 1 October 1997Volume 127, Issue 7Page: 576-578KeywordsComputersEvidence based medicineFeversMultiple sclerosisPatient advocacyPatientsPsychologyRenal diseasesTyphoidTyphus Issue Published: 1 October 1997 CopyrightCopyright © 1997 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...