January 7, 2015

Family Practice Stories


Family Practice Stories by Richard D. Feldman

Summary: An initiative of the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians and the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, Family Practice Stories is a collection of tales told by, and about, Hoosier family doctors practicing in the middle of the twentieth century. The stories celebrate that time in America considered by many to be the golden age of generalism in medicine a time that conjures up Norman Rockwell s familiar archetypal images of the country family doctor and a time when the art of healing was at its zenith.

The book is divided into two sections. The first is a collection of reflective essays on various subjects, some written by individuals who participated in interviewing these older doctors, some by invited essayists, and others the perspectives of the doctors themselves concerning medicine and their careers. The second part contains a large collection of stories from Hoosier family physicians that practiced in this era. The stories are specific episodes in their careers and reveal much about how these family doctors touched the lives of their patients and their influence on their communities.

Angie's Comments: Some of the stories are sweet, other funny, and still others sad. I enjoyed learning about the different doctors in this book, and their views on medicine in the past and in the present. The stories are accompanied by short biographies of the doctors. I would have preferred if more different doctors had been included. I felt like the book concentrated on

If you are interested in medicine or want to remember house visits from doctors, this is a great book.   



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