The Best Medical Essay Books 2025

1. Incidental Findings : Lessons from My Patients in the Art of Medicine (Paperback)

In Singular Intimacies, which the New England Journal of Medicine said captured the'essence of becoming and being a doctor, ' Danielle Ofri led us into the hectic, constantly challenging world of big-city medicine. In Incidental Findings, she's finished her training and is learning through practice to become a more rounded healer. The book opens with a dramatic tale of the tables being turned on Dr. Ofri: She's had to shed the precious white coat and credentials she worked so hard to earn and enter her own hospital as a patient. She experiences the real'slight prick and pressure' of a long needle as well as the very real sense of invasion and panic that routinely visits her patients. These fifteen intertwined tales include 'Living Will, ' where Dr. Ofri treats a man who has lost the will to live, and she too comes dangerously close to concluding that he has nothing to live for;'Common Ground, ' in which a patient's difficult decision to have an abortion highlights the vulnerabilities of doctor and patient alike;'Acne, ' where she is confronted by a patient whose physical and emotional abuse she can't possibly heal, so she must settle on treating the one thing she can, the least of her patient's problems; and finally a stunning concluding chapter, 'Tools of the Trade, ' where Dr. Ofri's touch is the last in a woman's long life.

In Singular Intimacies, which the New England Journal of Medicine said captured the'essence of becoming and being a doctor,' Danielle Ofri led us into the hectic, constantly challenging world of big-city medicine. In Incidental Findings, she's finished her training and is learning through practice to become a more rounded healer. The book opens with a dramatic tale of the tables being turned on Dr. Ofri: She's had to shed the precious white coat and credentials she worked so hard to earn and enter her own hospital as a patient. She experiences the real'slight prick and pressure' of a long needle as well as the very real sense of invasion and panic that routinely visits her patients. These fifteen intertwined tales include 'Living Will,' where Dr. Ofri treats a man who has lost the will to live, and she too comes dangerously close to concluding that he has nothing to live for;'Common Ground,' in which a patient's difficult decision to have an abortion highlights the vulnerabilities of doctor and patient alike;'Acne,' where she is confronted by a patient whose physical and emotional abuse she can't possibly heal, so she must settle on treating the one thing she can, the least of her patient's problems; and finally a stunning concluding chapter,'Tools of the Trade,' where Dr. Ofri's touch is the last in a woman's long life.

2. From Elephants to Mice : Animals Who Have Touched My Soul (Hardcover)

A heartfelt narrative on the many ways animals touch our lives Join veterinarian and animal lover James Mahoney as he shares heartfelt and often heart-wrenching stories of a cast of creatures who left a permanent mark on his soul. More than just a sentimental memoir, this thought-provoking collection raises such issues as whether animals experience the same types of emotions as humans, whether it is right to use animals in medical research, and even whether animals might have a sense of humor. Whether you're a dedicated animal activist or just a compassionate animal lover, these unlikely stories of survival, freedom, dignity, courage, and love will leave you deeply affected.

From Elephants to Mice: Animals Who Have Touched My Soul (Hardcover)

3. Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance, Pre-Owned (Hardcover)

Pre-Owned - The New York Times bestselling author of Complications examines, in riveting accounts of medical failure and triumph, how success is achieved in a complex and risk-filled profession The struggle to perform well is universal: each one of us faces fatigue, limited resources, and imperfect abilities in whatever we do. But nowhere is this drive to do better more important than in medicine, where lives are on the line with every decision. In his new book, Atul Gawande explores how doctors strive to close the gap between best intentions and best performance in the face of obstacles that sometimes seem insurmountable. Gawande's gripping stories of diligence, ingenuity, and what it means to do right by people take us to battlefield surgical tents in Iraq, to labor and delivery rooms in Boston, to a polio outbreak in India, and to malpractice courtrooms around the country. He discusses the ethical dilemmas of doctors' participation in lethal injections, examines the influence of money on modern medicine, and recounts the astoundingly contentious history of hand washing. And as in all his writing, Gawande gives us an inside look at his own life as a practicing surgeon, offering a searingly honest firsthand account of work in a field where mistakes are both unavoidable and unthinkable. At once unflinching and compassionate, Better is an exhilarating journey narrated by arguably the best nonfiction doctor-writer around (Salon). Gawande's investigation into medical professionals and how they progress from merely good to great provides rare insight into the elements of success, illuminating every area of human endeavor.

Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance, Pre-Owned (Hardcover)

4. White Coat, Black Hat: Adventures on the Dark Side of Medicine, Pre-Owned (Paperback)

Pre-Owned - By New Yorker and Atlantic writer Carl Elliott, a readable and even funny account of the serious business of medicine. A tongue-in-cheek account of the changes that have transformed medicine into big business. Physician and medical ethicist Carl Elliott tracks the new world of commercialized medicine from start to finish, introducing the professional guinea pigs, ghostwriters, thought leaders, drug reps, public relations pros, and even medical ethicists who use medicine for (sometimes huge) financial gain. Along the way, he uncovers the cost to patients lost in a health-care universe centered around consumerism.

White Coat, Black Hat: Adventures on the Dark Side of Medicine, Pre-Owned (Paperback)

5. The Awkward Yeti Presents: How I Broke Up with My Colon: Fascinating, Bizarre, and True Health Stories, Pre-Owned (Paperback)

Pre-Owned - Fascinating, bizarre, and educational true-life medical stories retold in cartoon form by the creator of the mega-popular webcomic, The Awkward Yeti. Medical Tales Retold takes real stories from fans (both patients and medical professionals) and turns them into funny, ridiculous, and educational long-form comics. Previously released on Tapas, it was one of the top long-form series on the platform and well received by fans and peers. An episode titled The Battle discussed depression and anxiety and went viral, making it the most iconic comic from the series. Stories are expanded on using caricatures of people (sometimes resembling the storyteller, sometimes not) and organs from the Awkward Yeti / Heart and Brain universe to make them easy to understand and more entertaining.

The Awkward Yeti Presents: How I Broke Up with My Colon: Fascinating, Bizarre, and True Health Stories, Pre-Owned (Paperback)