Good Times in the Hospital: A Medical Memoir

by James G McCully MD

As the chapters accumulate, the reader begins to realize that doctors are not much different from the rest of us. As for the patients in these stories, although hospitals are engaged in the most serious business imaginable, you cannot find more laugh-out-loud behavior anywhere. This is because when people seek medical care they are vulnerable and reveal their true, inner selves. And, it turns out that the true, inner selves of most people are often some combination of fascinating, inexplicable, and ridiculous. Good Times in the Hospital asserts that it is unhealthy to take life too seriously, and a lighthearted temperament is just as important as a sound diet. This point of view makes it possible for one book to combine a rare glimpse into what goes on inside a hospital, an informative look at health care, and an entertaining collection of unlikely stories, poignant vignettes, and humorous anecdotes. The author says, "If you think it is insensitive to laugh at doctors attending their patients and entertain ourselves with yarns of patients lying in their sickbed, you are reading the wrong book"

Genres: Nonfiction

260 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2012

Reviews

[Gigi Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

James G. McCully sheds light on some more humorous situations that we often don't get to see. His statement pretty much sums up the book itself, "If you think it is insensitive to laugh at doctors attending their patients and entertain ourselves with yarns of patients lying in their sickbed, you are reading the wrong book"
Good Times in the Hospital tells us all that we can't take life too seriously. Laughter is just as important as diet and exercise.


Read the full review here:
Bookend Chronicles

[James Mccully, · Rating 5 out of 5]

I THINK IT'S MORE IMPORTANT WHAT KIRKUS REVIEWS AND BLUEINK REVIEWS THINK. KIRKUS SAID: "IN THIS ABSORBING MEMOIR, A DOCTOR'S OFF-HANDED REMINISCENCES YIELD PERCEPTIVE INSIGHTS. HIS EXPERIENCES AFFORDED HIM A WEALTH OF FUNNY, SOMETIMES UNNERVING INSIGHTS. HE WRITES WITH A LIVELY, VIVID STYLE INFUSED WITH COMMON SENSE, A KEEN WIT, AND A KNACK FOR EXPLAINING COMPLEX MEDICAL ISSUES. HIS ASTUTE OBSERVATIONS REVEAL AS MUCH ABOUT THE QUIRKS OF THE SOUL AS THE MYSTERIES OF THE BODY." BLUEINK REVIEW SAID: "DR. MCCULLY SPENT FORTY YEARS IN HEALTH CARE AFTER TRAINING AT DUKE MEDICAL SCHOOL AND THE MAYO CLINIC. THESE STORIES OF HIS PATIENTS ARE, BY TURNS, JAW-DROPPING AND ENTERTAINING. BEYOND MAKING THE READER LAUGH, HIS STORIES OFTEN CONVEY A LESSON, WHETHER IT'S ON HUMAN NATURE OR LIFE AS A DOCTOR. MCCULLY WRITES THAT HIS GOAL IS TO HUMANIZE DOCTORS. HE DOES THAT AND MORE. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK."

[Barb Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was outstanding. I'd love to read more about this M.D.'s experiences. Great ethics, common sense, empathy.

[David Carriere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Times in the Hospital is a refreshingly honest and often laugh out loud medical memoir that reminds readers that hospitals, despite their gravity, are deeply human places. James G. McCully, MD offers an insider’s view of medicine that is compassionate, insightful, and unapologetically funny.
What stands out most is the balance between humor and truth. The anecdotes sometimes poignant, sometimes ridiculous never feel cruel. Instead, they reveal how vulnerability strips people down to their authentic selves, doctors and patients alike. The book gently challenges the idea that seriousness equals professionalism, making a strong case for humor as an essential part of resilience and healing.
This memoir is both entertaining and illuminating, offering readers an accessible glimpse into healthcare while reminding us that laughter can coexist with compassion even in the most serious of settings.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. McCully spent 40 years as a radiologist in such diverse settings as the Mayo Clinic, the Army and rural hospitals. His experiences afforded him a wealth of funny and unnerving anecdotes. But these episodes convey more than yuks and misbehavior. Thy serve to highlight the physician's role in reassuring people about the life and death, even when there's little hope for a cure. The book is entertaining, but gets anther mundane at the end.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! The author writes in such a personal way that you think you are sitting down with him having a chat over coffee and cake. His insight into medicine and the human condition is simple and straight forward. I smiled, I shuddered, I laughed and I agreed! Nice read.

[Marvel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. A very truthful and factual version of life in older hospitals and the medical field. The book was fascinating - the epilogue went on forever.