Doctor's Notes

by Rosemary Leonard

'I'm in the wrong job,' I said to our practice nurse, 'I should definitely have been a detective.'

For BBC Breakfast's Dr Rosemary Leonard, a day in her GP's surgery is full of unexplained ailments and mysteries to be solved.

From questions of paternity to apparently drug-resistant symptoms, these mysteries can sometimes take a while to get to the bottom of, especially when they are of a more intimate nature.

In her second book about life in her London surgery, Dr Rosemary recalls some of her most puzzling cases... and their rather surprising explanations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Medicine, Biography, Autobiography, Medical

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2013

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dunno ...the doctor and I just didn't bond, as she came across a bit too self-impressed for me. Guess she realizes that "sex sells", since the first case is about a man's disappearing penis, with others focusing on pregnancy (three patients, same father), a "routine" pap smear that turned out more difficult than expected due to multiple piercings ("... like a scrapyard down there."), and one where a woman learns NOT to mix Dettol (US: Lysol, I think) in her bath water.

Not sorry I bought it, but not sorry the first book isn't available as an audio either. This was plenty. Afterwards, I watched a clip of Dr. Leonard, finding the narrator got the voice down nearly exactly.

[Liralen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. I found the local library's stash of doctor-memoirs. Entertaining but a little frustrating, I guess? I don't think this is going to be a terribly useful review, because I just want to call out a couple things. I'm going to drop these sections into spoiler tags, less because there are spoilers and more because I'm using a whole bunch of quotations.

First...South London.

I assumed that she was sexually active—it would be unusual to find an eighteen-year-old virgin in South London. (69)

Cheryl actually seemed relieved that she was pregnant and not suffering from a medical condition. 'At least I know now. I have a regular boyfriend and I am sure he'll be really pleased. He mentioned settling down the other day.'
'Oh?' I replied, surprised, as this would be fairly unusual in South London. (71)

'Were you using any contraception?' Pretty stupid question, I thought to myself. (72)

Gonorrhoea infection is everywhere in South London and, with that in mind, I wasn't too surprised, even though it wasn't the result I had been expecting. (78)

It looked as though he was the local Romeo, having unprotected sex with several women and leading to unplanned pregnancies and unwanted infections. That wasn't so unusual in South London. (83)

It seemed that, for a lot of young people in South London, having sex was little different from kissing. I'd long since given up despairing about sex education and morals; it was just my job to try to stop them coming to any harm from their sexual activities. (100)

This is not the extent of the comments about South London. Leonard takes multiple opportunities to let the reader know that she went to Cambridge (to be fair, it is possible that this book is pulled largely from columns Leonard wrote, in which case the occasional mention every few weeks/months would make more sense and would have been less noticeable), so it reads as a hell of a lot of classism, not to mention judgement. And generalisation. (And I'm not sure why I found this in a South London library, since she doesn't seem to think much of South Londoners.)

Second, identity.

Her parents are from Pakistan, but she is extremely English; the same can be said of her husband. If you hear either of their voices on the phone, you won't have a clue that their lineage is from the other side of the world. (33)

I remembered that, from our previous appointments, her family came originally from the Swahili coast in East Africa. She had no interest in religion, saw herself as English through and through, and... (116)

The way she phrases these is really striking to me: another woman is extremely English in spite of having parents from somewhere else; another woman sees herself as English although she (or her parents—it's not clear) originally comes from elsewhere. I might be reading too much into it, but it's odd to me that Leonard feels the need to call either of these out. To me the implication is that Leonard is putting everyone on a, erm, scale of Englishness. Again: I might be reading too much into this. It's just strange.

And third...bits and pieces. Also known as the point at which I shout at the book and vow to avoid Leonard's surgery, should I ever need a GP in South London:
'Did you [sic] last boyfriend ever say anything about your body?' I gently probed. I would have found it easier to understand her decision to have [breast enlargement] surgery if he'd suggested that her breasts were too small. (125)

Why? Why is it somehow more acceptable/understandable for a woman to change her body for the sake of a man than it is for her to change her body for her sake?

I suppose you could say that Samantha had a 'girlie' look about her. A crueller word might be 'tarty'. (181)

Always good to know your GP is slut-shaming you.

'I can't change the course of nature. I'm sure that Patrick doesn't plan to kill you, though—it's just his emotions talking.' (184)

What. No. This is in the context of a woman basically asking for protection because she's not sure the baby she's carrying is her partner's and she's afraid of what will happen if it's not. And you know what's an appropriate response to that concern? NOT THIS. It would be appropriate to ask some careful questions to determine whether the woman thought there was serious risk, and to offer resources. It is in no fucking way appropriate to dismiss those concerns out of hand. (I can hear the objections now: 'But it was fine! He thought the kid was his, and he didn't hurt her!' Not the point.)

*sweat off brow*

I should probably stop reading these. Am reading Sick Notes right now and starting to wonder if I just don't like English Doctor Humour.

[Rinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last week on my blog, I discussed the careers of book bloggers, and shared with you all that I aim to one day be a museum curator. But what I somehow failed to mention (don’t ask how) in that post is that my current job is a medical receptionist. It’s an interesting job, both enjoyable and very stressful at times. So when I saw this book on Bookbridgr I had to request it, to compare Rosemary’s stories to my own experiences!

There were some truly hilarious stories, and others that were really quite shocking. For example, within the same week Rosemary saw three teenage girls who’d all recently gotten pregnant and were happy to keep the baby as their boyfriends had proposed. And then a couple of weeks later, all three girls came back with another problem. Turns out they all had gonorrhea, had all been seeing the same man, who had gotten them all pregnant and proposed to each and every one. Although on occasion the detail in some tales was a bit grisly and graphic, the information about various medical conditions was fascinating. And of course there were bits that were possibly only funny if you work in a GP surgery – such as rushing to fulfill QOF targets before the end of the financial year (which we were doing at the end of March this year).

However, whilst it was quite enjoyable, at times it felt a little… uncomfortable, in a way. Obviously when it comes to healthcare there is a MAJOR emphasis on confidentiality, and this felt almost like it was breaching that trust at times. I know the names and identities were changed but still – what if someone featured in the book read it and recognised themselves? Sure, no-one else could, but that person would feel humiliated and betrayed. And then of course that left me feeling conflicted over whether I should really have found some of those stories funny, as they happened to real people and had real consequences. The writing style also reminded me of ‘true life’ stories in those trashy magazines that we love to hate (‘My father is also my brother!‘, I married a serial killer!‘ etc). Unfortunately, what let the book down the most in my eyes was how judgmental I felt Rosemary was at times. She makes far too many comments on class and appearance, and whilst I understand that doctors may see people in a different way because they’re used to making visual assessments, there was really no need for it here.

Overall, a light and quick read – occasionally cringe-inducing and able of making the reader feel rather uncomfortable – but interesting nonetheless. Worth the read if you work in a similar environment, if only for the familiarity.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Originally published on my former blog, Rinn Reads.

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something almost voyeuristic about reading this sort of book as it sometimes feels as though the reader is spying on other people’s lives. But such books can also be useful sources of information. I read them for the insights into human behaviour and for the amusing incidents. Most of the cases described here have a relatively happy ending so the book is very optimistic in many ways.

I chuckled over some stories, winced as I was reading others and shed a few tears over the chapter about injured service people and the Remembrance Day parade. Like the author, I shall never feel quite the same about turkey basters or about gerbils (don’t ask!) If you’re looking for a relatively quick read which will have you marvelling about the ways of human beings and about how GPs cope with the variety of patients they see then read this.

[Sian Bradshaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a readable book which followed the patient stories all the way through. I'm not sure how this still ensures patient confidentiality even though the individuals are given aliases and they cover some very embarrassing issues. Felt patronising in places especially in dealing with people from other cultures.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

She seems clueless of lgbt issues and also a bit classist, but the book was entertaining in a trashy, reality tv-esque kind of way.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Other than a few comments that I thought were inappropriate, I liked the discussion of patients' cases.

[Karen Savage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really funny, a joy to read.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a good gossipy medical diary book as much as the next person, if not more, but this was the most judgemental account of a set of vulnerable peoples' problems that I have ever read.

[Chloe Bagnall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read via Audible

[Isabelle Bowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me personally, I really enjoyed reading this book, this may be due to the fact that when I am older, I aspire to become a genera practitioner (similarly to the author of the book.) I found this book really to ready yet strangely captivating.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A copy of Doctors Notes was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review

I've been reading a lot of fiction lately so I needed a break. I find fiction can get a little monotonous when reading it over and over. It's nice to change the pace and throw in some non-fiction every now and then. Besides, you just couldn't make this stuff up!!

Dr Leonards works in a busy practice in London. This book contains detailed about some of her more amusing cases. Each chapter is a different story so it's very easy to pick up and put down. I found it to be the perfect bedtime read.

Working as a veterinary nurse I see strange things every other day involving animals of all shapes and sizes so I found I could really relate to Rosemary in her reaction to some of the stories.

Some of the more interesting cases include 3 women who find out that they are all carrying children who have been fathered by the same man and a couple who do some experimenting with a Cadbury's cream egg! I was surprised by how upfront people were about there problems. I admire how they were able to just come straight out with things. In the same position Id be really embarrassed about bringing up personal issues. It just proves that Rosemary is someone who makes her patients feel comfortable.

I really admired the fact that she made the effort to talk to patients outside clinic hours, even taking time from a dinner party to stitch up a kid in her bathroom!

Doctors Notes was a light and refreshing read that I'd recommend to anyone interested in taking a glimpse into the GP's world.

- See more at: http://www.gobookyourself.info/2014/0...

[Lena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another highly intriguing book by Dr Leonard into the cases which she is presented with at her surgery, with the odd hilarious pun for comedic relief. I loved reading about the extraordinary tales of what people get up to and the reasons why they attend a GP appointment, and I felt that this book had more continuity compared to the first, with a more general theme of 'being a detective' and also see the characters of the surgery develop too. All in all, a wonderful read and it definitely opened my eyes to what can occur in this clinical setting, with a true appreciation for what GPs have to endure.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy books written about some of the strange and unusual cases a doctor (or a vet) sees in the office. Leonard provides stories that are interesting and still supplies a couple of health tips without being preachy. This is her second book and I would love to read a third.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. A real page turner.

[Mrs Reddy Katzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a fast interesting read ... amusing

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snapshot of the more unusual cases written extremely well without becoming farcical.

[LAURA JONES · Rating 2 out of 5]

A QUICK INTERESTING READ INTERESTING TO READ FROM THE DR'S POINT OF VIEW TOO