Cutting Remarks : Insights and Recollections of a Surgeon Author : Sidney M Schwab, MD
				As a family physician, I have been disappointed with a good deal of the mainstream media portrayals of doctors.  Rarely does a book, article or TV show come along that paints an accurate picture of what doctors are and what we go through to become what we are.  Cutting Remarks defies that trend.       There is nothing more unique than residency training and, in many cases, nothing more challenging.  It’s one of those rare things that, once you go through it, you swear you’d never do it again, but wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.  Dr. Schwab captures the essence of that feeling in his reflections.       I like surgeons, mainly because they tend to have a sense of humor and more resemble humans than their internist counterparts.  Dr. Schwab does a phenomenal job of portraying surgeons in such a light.  As I read, I found myself immersed in nostalgia from my days of residency, whether it was 120 hour work weeks or cornering the market on “cutting sutures”.       He takes us on a journey through the dreadful intern year, where a once triumphant fourth year medical student has to, yet again, work from the bottom of the totem pole.  From trauma surgery to orthopedics to his time spent as a surgeon in Vietnam, his memories of becoming a surgeon are filled with rich descriptions of fellow residents, staff surgeons and, of course, patients.  Every doctor has memories of certain patients from residency, whether they were particularly challenging or simply had a unique personality, and Dr. Schwab’s memories truly make for good reading.       Schwab's writing style is also quite impressive.  A common trap in memoir- writing is to get bogged down in the personal detail that fails to capture the reader's attention, while missing the main punch of the memory.  Schwab avoids this trap well.  His sharp descriptions mimick the very blade he has become so adept at using.           This book should be on the list of “must reads” for anyone in the medical field, especially medical students or those in pre-med and certainly for anyone considering a surgery career.  But, even if you’re not in the medical field, it’s a great alternative to the usual doctor characterizations that you’ll find on ER or House.  Dr. Schwab has removed the usual mainstream physician stereotype like an inflammed appendix.  This is real life.  This is how doctors live, and what we have gone through to achieve our career.  Bravo Dr. Schwab, you’ve done our profession quite a service.

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