Long-time physician Sherwin B. Nuland presents a provocative and stimulating collection of stories illustrating the vagaries of medical practice over the years. Among the fascinating and probing questions that Nuland investigates are:


—What does the first Hippocratic Oath really mean?


—What happens when knowledge comes before we're ready for it?


—Why does major surgery using only acupuncture work?


—Is there really sympathy between the organs of the body?


—What happens when someone yells, "Is there a doctor in the house?" and you are the doctor?


—What goes through the mind of a heart transplant candidate who doesn't make it?