With more than two million copies sold worldwide, it has been hailed as one of the most important medical novels ever written. Like its an incredible paradox that being a doctor is so degrading and yet is so valued by society. There is as much genuine human goodness and compassion in this book as there is in any rousing speech by a. A phenomenon ever since it was published, the house of god was the first unvarnished, unglorified, and uncensored portrait of what training to become a doctor is truly like, in all its terror, exhaustion and black comedy. It is essential to read this book for any future physician or physician resident. This book was therapeutic for a past generation of house staff at all levels and disciplines. Roy basch, a rhodes scholar, thinks differently, until he meets hyper hooper, out to win the most postmortems of the year award, or molly, the nurse with the crash helmet. Samuel shems medical classic the house of god was written in 1978 and follows a group of medical interns during their first year of residency training. Rereading the house of god prompts us to ask, first, do we take better care of. Called the house of god, the book was drawn from real life, and 30 years after its initial publication, it is still part of the medical conversation. The novel follows a group of medical interns at a fictionalized version of beth israel hospital over the course of a year in the early 1970s, focusing on the psychological harm and dehumanization caused by their residency training. Doctors still talk about the house of god novel the new york.
A work of fiction, the novel is loosely based on shems year as a medical intern. But its brilliant because in the end its not just a romp through hilarious bureaucratic mishaps. The house of god is a satirical novel by samuel shem published in 1978. The book was censored by medical school deans, who often kept me from speaking at their schools. If the house of god is the great medical novel of the generation of physicians who came before me, perhaps mans 4th best hospital is the book. Samuel shems the house of god is widely regarded as one of the most influential novels about medical education in the twentieth century. The house of god brought attention to medical slang. The medical hierarchy of the house of god is like a pyramid a lot at the bottom and one at the top. Based on bergmans experiences as an intern at harvards beth israel hospital, the book rapidly became a staple of any medical residents. I first read the book in college, a time when i was seriously considering medical school. House of god author skewers corporate medicine in mans 4th. The house of god, a book as sexist as it was influential, gets a.
Stephen bergman, psychiatrist and author of the blockbuster novel the house of god, which introduced millions of readers and generations of doctors to the argot that is the lingua franca of residents and interns then and now. I found it funny, and surprising could young doctors. House of god is a brilliant book in that it refactors perception to place it in the foreground. The novel follows a group of medical interns at a fictionalized version of beth. Doctors still talk about the house of god novel the. Roy basch and some of his intern cohorts to join him to teach a new generation of interns and residents.
He begins his internship under the tutelage of the fat man, a second year resident who has some crazy ideas as to how to take care of patients. Basch and his irreverant confident, known only as the fat man, will learn not only how to be fine doctors but, eventually, good human beings. To ask other readers questions about the house of god, please sign up. In both worlds, however, there are survivors and casualties and the house of god probably helped some to survive by the simple fact that misery loves company and company is therapeutic. The book, described by the new york times as raunchy, troubling and hilarious, was. Written by a psychiatrist, stephen bergman, under the pseudonym samuel shem, m. Basch is a new intern in internal medicine at a hospital called the house of god. Samuel shem a pseudonym used by psychiatrist stephen bergman, published in 1978. The house of god kindle edition by shem, samuel, updike. The house of god, a book as sexist as it was influential. The house of god scrubs wiki fandom powered by wikia. Samuel shem, 34 years after the house of god the atlantic.
Decades after being published, this satire still raises issues of how interns and residents are trained and how patients experience their treatment. The house of god gave the public the first insiders look at the underbelly of hospital life, revealing the hazing, abuse and psychological damage inflicted on medical interns back then and introducing the public and generations of doctors especially young ones. House of god laws rumor has it, when medical interns, residents, and nurses need an attitude adjustment because of what they face all day, they refer to the laws of the house of god. Funny, angry, honest, and absurd, the book spotlighted the injustices of medical training and the patient care of that era and was pilloried by establishment medicine for years after publication. The sequel to the bestselling and highly acclaimed the house of god years after the events of the house of god, the fat man has been given leadership over a new future of medicine clinic at what is now only mans 4th best hospital, and has persuaded dr. By turns heartbreaking, hilarious, and utterly human, the house of god is a mesmerizing and provocative journey that takes us into the lives of roy basch and five of his fellow interns at the most renowned teaching hospital in the country. He is a doctor, novelist, playwright, and activist. A rhodes scholar, he was on the faculty of harvard medical school for three decades and founded the bill w. Bob project in the division on addictions at harvard medical school. Many of these issues, such as hospital safety, signouts, quality of. According to the fat man, there are two types of patients. Do you think you know the laws of the house of god. Samuel shem aka stephen bergman is the author of several books of fiction including the bestseller the house of god.
The laws come from samuel shems book the house of god. The book is called the house of god by samuel shem. As a struggling intern, roy basch learns from the fat man the laws of the house of god. It was scary how accurate most of it is, right down to the laws of the house of god quoted throughout. Roy basch, a new intern starting his medical internship at the house of god hospital. Scrubs was influenced by the book and was a required reading material among the. I felt i should read this book, described as the catch22 of medicine before graduating from med school. Nowadays, however, current housestaff may have heard of the house of god, or might quote famous lines, but it is a rare resident who has actually read the book.
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