Medical Encounters

by S.K. Jindal

'Medical Encounters' chronicles the stories of patients seen by the author in his medical career of about half a century. From a man with scalded palms in 1968 to a youth in 2012 whose father needed lung transplantation; from one young lady isolated for her disease to another who defied medical advice; from Griffth who hid drug-abuse to Dr. Paul who came for a short visit, the tales provide an extra ordinary glimpse of the trials and tribulations faced by patients in their heroic struggle against disease and death. The pen portraits reflected in this fascinating book encompass the lives of Prime Ministers, Governors, Chief-Ministers, Judges, highly placed officials, army-men, police officers, newly married couples, precocious teen agers, wealthy men and farm-labourers. Thoughtful insights, combined with historical vignettes make this book a compelling read and above that, a captivating story of life and the living process.

276 pages, Paperback

First published October 9, 2015

Reviews

[Susanna Froese · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was OK.

I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.

[Mandy Wultsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of anecdotes COVERING over several decades by one physician in India. Even though he worked several thousands of miles away from where I work in a hospital (as a pharmacist), his experiences are very familiar to medicine in the United States; some things seem to be universal in medicine.

No medical knowledge is needed to enjoy this book, as almost everything is explained and there is a glossary in the back with medical and non-English words. There were still some words/ phrases that I had to Google for an exact definition (for example, I was disappointed to find out that a "kitty party" did not involve actual cats), but were still understandable in context.

The patients in the book are all named. Some of these must be pseudonyms, or Dr. Jindal has an amazing memory for names that goes back decades. Personally, I have trouble remembering names from last year, not to mention 20 years ago. Either way, giving a name to patients makes them more relatable.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gaining insight into medicine and/or Indian culture. Thank you to the author and/or publisher for the opportunity to read this book through the Goodreads Giveaways.

[Sandeep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the interesting medico cases attended to by Dr SK Jindal,
Simple language, few stories set after independence,
Overall a good read,
cheers,

[Gail · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book. There was more written about the political situation in India than about medical situations. I do not recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a medical story.