A Final Examination: The Doctor Looks Back

A former family physician reviews his childhood, schooling, family, and medical career as he heads into his seventies. He reviews recollections of past sympathetic medical interactions and acerbically contrasts these with contemporary practices. In seventeen chapters ranging from the personal to topics covering his thoughts on addiction, sexuality, dysfunctional families, mental health, death/dying, and some very superficial case studies; the author sardonically and casually voices his opinion on these critical topics. Interspersed between most of the chapters are stream of consciousness lyrics which comment both on his mood and recent social events. The poetic portions of the text were frequently more appealing than the prose, as the latter often displayed awkward grammatical construction or poor editing. He frequently refers to his loving family members, and often lauds his associates; however, these individuals never materialize on the page. While this reader is also of an age to recall a beloved family physician, unfortunately this memoir does not capture the essence of that relationship. These ramblings, while at times, poignantly pungent, are more like memory clips loosely linked together. The collection would serve better as a family diary and as a personal historical record.