Operating Room Confidential

May 1, 2010
Fear of the mysterious world of sleep is a primordial emotion, as new parents quickly learn. Though few would deny that anesthesia is a true blessing of the modern world, the thought of surrendering to it provokes long-buried anxieties. Whang, a hospital anesthetist in Toronto, attempts to soothe these worries with an informative and lively guide to his profession and the hermetic world of the operating room in which he practices. Writing for a general audience, Whang discusses his experiences as an anesthetist for a wide range of procedures. He tells tales out of school of surgeries gone awry, the operating room pecking order, surgeons' choice of music and superstitions, and even some medical students' rite of passage, operating-room sex. Though he plays a supporting actor to the surgeon in the drama of an operation, Whang has years of observing patients' vital signs, and these must have made him a perceptive observer of hospital life. One entertaining chapter discusses research on the Myers-Briggs classifications of various medical specialists. Whang also offers practical information for potential patients on what to look for in a good surgeon and what to expect in the recovery room, and he answers the FAQs of his patients facing surgery. VERDICT This book provides a distinctive view of a medical specialty little known by the general public. Although the author's genial style and professional expertise make for an engaging read, his book could be better organized into a coherent narrative.Kathy Arsenault, St. Petersburg, FL

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