These essays by a writer, scholar, and surgeon on the mysteries and mishaps of modern surgery eloquently uncover the fallibilities in medicine. The author, all the while maintaining a sense of heart for doctors, discusses how the art of doctoring is acquired, and how many doctors extemporize self-confidence and even techniques. He intersperses stories of medical patients, including his own child, to illustrate his points on the force and limits of medicine, and makes interesting, thoughtful suggestions on how medicine could be improved. A New York Times Notable Book for 2002. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.