Three Books on the Complexities and Flaws of the Healthcare System
LINDSEY MCCREA –
In the wake of the recent uproar surrounding the CEO Killer, Luigi Mangioni, and the growing interest in the flaws of the healthcare system, one might wonder how they can become better informed. As someone with a very limited attention span as well as a profound interest in the subject, I would recommend these three books as a way to get started and remain engaged.
- Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of our Deadliest Infection, John Green
Everything is Tuberculosis follows the story of a young man, Henry Reider, and his struggle to overcome TB, a disease for which a cure has existed for over a century. Through this story, author John Green goes over the history of this disease in careful, amusing, and heart wrenching detail, focusing on the everpresent prejudice, misinformation, and greed that so greatly affects the spread of this, and many other, diseases. Green puts his background in history to great use throughout this book, including examples of TB’s connection to the creation of the cowboy hat, to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and even to his own family. I absolutely loved this book: I was emotionally invested, consistently engaged and amused, and was able to better understand the flaws in the drug industry. Overall, I would consider this quick read to be both incredibly relevant and very deserving of one’s time.
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot
In her book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, author Rebecca Skloot explores the untold story of the woman whose cells revolutionized the field of medicine. In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, a black mother of five, living in Clover, Virginia, discovered a knot on her cervix, which would turn out to be cancer. When she visited John’s Hopkins Hospital for treatment, a doctor took a sample of her cancer cells and donated them to a cell culturist without her knowledge. Those cells, which were soon discovered to be the first immortal cells, became the foundations of almost all subsequent biomedical research. This story explores Henrietta’s legacy within both, the world of science and her community, as well as the lasting effects of racism within a healthcare system that, not only wasn’t made for, but that continues to exploit marginalized communities. This book is what first sparked my interest in bioethics; it is deeply personal, emotionally devastating, and 100% a must-read.
- Doing Harm: The Truth of How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick, Maya Dusenbery
Author Maya Dusenbery does a tremendous job researching and exploring disparities in medical research and care based on sex. This book delves into the fundamental bias towards male-based research going all the way back to the era of hysteria as a medical diagnosis and all the way down to the strictly-male animal cells used in preclinical trials. Dusenbury keeps her audience engaged using stories of women’s experiences with medical neglect, the so-called ‘logic’ behind sexism in science, and a number of hilarious and infuriating snippets about issues she’s encountered in her exploration. While reading this book, I was constantly stunned, enraged, and learning new things, and from this I’ve gained a deeper knowledge of how flawed health-related research can be far back issues in research go.
Copy Editor: Harshil Joshi
Photography Source: https://highmarkhire.com/2023/06/26/5-best-books-on-healthcare-management-techniques/