Deadly Dinner Party: And Other Medical Detective Stories (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
Just when you thought it was safe to drink milk, fresh apple cider, soak in a hot tub at a resort, or even work in your office, this set of medical emergencies which leave doctors scratching their heads. Taken from true cases, with just the identities of the patients changed, these stories read like episodes of House. Following investigators with the Center of Disease Control & Prevention in some cases are called in when multiple similar cases arise which have all the hallmarks of an impending epidemic. Following their steps in trying to identify not only what's actually wrong with the patient that's causing their kidney failure, double vision, months of headaches, bloody bowels, muscle weakness, impending death and accumulating fluid in the abdomen among other alarming problems but also the cause of the problems are really fascinating.The author also adds information about some historical cases, information about certain bacteria and their effect on the human body, in addition to different medical treatments and procedures. All in all, a very interesting book, even if some of the stories have made me ask our building manager how often their clean out the air vents in the building and rethink buying apple cider from a nearby farm. This book by Dr. Jonathan Edlow is the result of combining great mysteries with great medicine. The author, in his preface, talks about his lifelong fascination with The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and it seems only right that he should find a unique way to combine both his love of 'whodunits' with his love of medicine. The case studies in this book are diverse... some deal with pathogens being introduced into the body and some are interestingly about health 'habits' which turn out to be not so healthy. Many of the patients in in these medical mysteries become seriously ill and it is the powers of observation of some very alert doctors, and in some cases personnel from the Centers For Disease Control who come in and uncover the clues needed to make a diagnosis and devise a treatment which would ensure the patients' recoveries. These case studies included things such as botulism poisoning from leftovers reheated the day after a dinner party to typhoid fever contracted on a honeymoon (of all places).... to cases of E.coli which interestingly traced back to the very enjoyable autumn tradition of sipping freshly pressed apple cider.There were many fascinating mysteries in this book also dealing with the many unseen hazards in the workplace....such as the very baffling case in a textile mill involving the process used to make 'crushed' velvet. My favorite mysteries, however, were actually about how too much of a good thing can actually be very bad (and even toxic) for the body. We live in a society that is obsessed with health... people engage in many, what often seem like crazy fads.... including megadoses of vitamin and herbal supplements. Unfortunately,as Dr. Edlow demonstrated , not really understanding vitamins and herbs and how they should be used (if at all) can make people very ill. There was one particular case that I can't stop thinking about (I suppose because I remember when this particular fad was very popular with some people I know). This mystery concerned a fairly recent public preoccupation with oatmeal and oat bran. An older middle aged man ended up in the emergency room with severe abdominal pain. The doctor quickly diagnosed an obstruction in the lower intestine and emergency surgery was required. Upon opening the abdominal cavity of the man, the surgeon discovered an obstruction which he described as "thick material"... "some type of undigested vegetable material". The surgeon also remarked that they filled a 'small bucket' with what was removed from the patient's intestine. It was discovered through interviews of the patient that he had been concerned about his diagnosis of high cholesterol. After reading about the benefits of oats and oat bran, he had proceeded to eat massive quantities of this food.. this was combined with insufficient liquid intake in his diet.. and what resulted was a 'concrete-like' obstruction of his intestine. This was just one of the very interesting examples presented of how too much of a good thing is not so good after all.This book, although not for the particularly squeamish, was a very informative and entertaining collection of real life cases of medical mysteries that left me in awe of the doctors who somehow manage to follow the clues and come up with the whole picture... allowing them to save lives daily. The only complaint I have of this boom is that, because the author is a medical doctor, he often lapses into very technical terms about bacterial names and diseases.. which to a non-medical person (like me) can be difficult to follow. 3.5 stars!
What do You think about Deadly Dinner Party: And Other Medical Detective Stories (2009)?
Excellent collection of epidemiological forensic vignettes, and a fun read.
—Nick
I want to read this book so badly, I almost can't stand it!
—Savannah
Not as good as the originals, but fun, a la House.
—singhkuldeep065
