Reviews (2)

Stethoscope History
This book is the very informative result of extensive research. It has a lengthy appendix full of photographs of antique stethoscopes, over ten pages of references, and what I thought of as some pretty tedious text. Of course, that comment is coming from someone whose symbolic and sort of romantic fascination with the music of the human heart drove her to purchase anything concerning stethoscopes, and this book is certainly not directed at people who just love listening to hearts. I'm sure it's better suited to the medical professional or collector, and I'm neither one of those. I wound up with more information than I necessarily needed, but there's no harm in that, especially considering the price of the book.

The book discusses immediate and mediate auscultation and percussion, and the numerous changes the stethoscope has undergone since the first one was invented by Rene Laennec in 1816. It also touches on the controversies that surrounded the stethoscope when it was first invented and how many medical professionals doubted its value. Much of the same skepticism was present when the monaural stethoscope went out of style and the binaural stethoscope (the kind we see today) was ushered in. It also discusses specialized stethoscopes like the obstetrical stethoscope, differential stethoscope, and the teaching stethoscope. I can't imagine another resource that would contain more information on stethoscope history.

The writing is very uninvolved and strictly factual until the final chapter, which concerns modern medicine. Blaufox discusses the current electronic stethoscopes that are widely used today and successfully amplify sound to allow for more effective diagnoses and benefit the hearing-impaired. He then goes on to briefly discuss the various more advanced techniques that have come to replace traditional auscultation recently, such as echocardiography, tomography, and electrocardiography. He is very articulate in his assertion that medicine has become more unproductive and impersonal as a result of these technological advances. Sadly, fewer and fewer students have sufficient auscultation skills but are competent with other equipment. I liked the fact that Blaufox expressed his opinion in his last chapter that the decline in reliance upon the stethoscope is an unfortunate development.

Isbn: 0815131461
Sales Rank: 1312460
Subjects:  1. Cardiology    2. Cardiovascular Diseases    3. Diagnosis    4. Diseases    5. Heart    6. Heart Auscultation    7. Medical    8. Medical / Nursing    9. Nursing - Nurse & Patient    10. Sounds    11. programmed instruction   

Reviews (3)

Hearts for People
I understand that the author is drawing from his extensive life-experience to give us this book, but at the same time, it would have been nice to read about humility, but then again, cardiologists are not exactly known for being humble people...

Although the book is accurate, and uses medical jargon when necessary, it still feels hard, and dettached.You don't get a sense that Dr. Stone is establishing a personal connection with the reader.

Out of all the stories, the one that sticks out the most, because of its true heart, is the one of "Telltale Hands".Here, we get a better idea of Dr. Stone's emotions, and his bond with this patient.The best part of the book, for me, are the little introductions at the beginning of each story, precisely because they are the one fragment of him that we get to experience; and I believe that if the book is supposed to deal with the art of medicine, from his experience, then we should all feel some sort of link to him throughout the book, but the intros are about all we get.

I think the book is a good read, but it fails to inspire me, to make me feel that simple human beings are capable of transforming another life.It basically reads like a simplified text-book of case studies, entertaining, but not necessarily uplifiting.

Simply The Best Medical Lit Work Yet Written
In spite of my personal opinion (which is admittedly biased), this collection of stories will compete on anyone's bookshelf for the best work of medical lit yet written.This *is* John Stone, the physician, the human hands, the poet, the wit, it's all in here.

Where to start?....Blue Baby is where John started by connecting a nursery rhyme with tetralogy of Fallot; An Infected Heart (which I've read to my students for >10 years now.....sometimes half the class is in tears by the time I reach the end where they inevitably gasp with comprehension of their own relationships with patients); Breath; Missed Signals; Balloon Man, it's a long and enjoyable list.

Reading and re-reading these gives you a sense of place within medicine (and reminds you exactly how grand those little events really are), it's a solid base from which to teach, it's wonder at the craft of an excellent wordsmith like Stone.

If you are in medicine, if you teach, if you are human.....read this one, you'll be glad you did.

Reviews (10)

INTERESTING, BUT FALLS SHORT
This book covers much material that is not new, but which is interpreted in a new way. Other authors have written about forms of intelligence and learning that don't seem to depend on the brain or intellect. Larry Dossey's concept of non-local consciousness, and Rupert Sheldrake's "morphic fields" arise from the same anecdotal evidence that Pearsall presents in this book. The difference is that Pearsall attributes this unexplained knowledge source to the heart, the most powerful organ in our bodies. Pearsall believes he has found evidence that the heart (as well as other cells in our bodies) retains memories about us and possibly about other people with whom we are close (and maybe holds ancestral memories as well).

Pearsall uses anecdotes from heart transplant patients, many of which seem to indicate that the recipient takes on some of the characteristics of the donor, and sometimes even knows things about the donor. These stories are compelling, but they do not add up to proof that the heart has memory. In my mind, they DO add up to evidence of the connectedness of life and the existence of psychic connections between people. What better way to create a connection than to transplant living tissue from one person into another? To anyone who believes there are forms of knowing that do not arise in the brain, Pearsall's stories are hardly unexpected. He cites many sources and quotes other authors in his quest to make his case, but other explanations make as much or more sense than Pearsall's.

Organ transplants themselves are controversial. I think it possible that organ transplants could impede the spirit of the donor from moving on to the next dimension, instead remaining earth-bound because part of his/her body still lives. Pearsall has raised the question of just what is transferred (besides the organ) from donor to recipient. The heart is obviously an important part of us and is a metaphor for love, so it stands to reason that whatever essence of the donor is in the heart would have some effect on the recipient, and the recipient may have some effect on the spirit of the donor.

The famous Dr. DeBakey says the heart is "just a pump" and perhaps he is mistaken. But does the heart possess "memory" or does its energy still contain part of the spirit of the donor, or does the donor reach out from "the other side" and communicate to the recipient? I have no answer, but I'm not inclined to accept Pearsall's arguments.

The book also becomes tedious with repetitious points. It seems like the major ideas could be stated in far fewer words. The author also uses his own experiences as a cancer patient in forming his theory. His own story is interesting in itself, but does not supply any evidence for a "heart's code." In the end, we have highly subjective ideas based on anecdotes that can be explained by a number of other theories (which the author is fair enough to summarize in this book).

Personally, I do not support organ transplants because of the grossly unfair so-called health care system in the US. Only people with a lot of money or fabulous health insurance go on lists to get a transplant. Once they get the new organ, they must take very expensive drugs every month for the rest of their lives. If they miss taking their drugs for even a month, their body will reject the transplant and they will die. I would not want to live with that pressure, knowing any month I was unable to come up with a large sum of money for drugs, I would die (and just try getting health insurance if you've had an organ transplant!!). People may see transplants as a life-saving technique, but they are also a big money-making industry driven by highly-paid specialists and unwarranted drug company profits. Only the rich and the lucky benefit, and there will never be enough donated hearts for all the potential recipients.

Getting your head together, with your heart
Dr. Pearsall has hit a home run in a ballpark unfamiliar to most ordinary people who still think that the brain in your head is the mastermind of thought and behavior.What Pearsall has contributed, especially in terms of learning, creativity and memory is to reshape our foundations of perception that "love, dignity, relationships and integrity" might, after all, be the driving forces of human progress.Even if one considers "The Heart's Code" as a mere metaphor for our consciousness, without the empirical evidence of the role of the heart in human thought,Dr. Pearsall moves us closer to an integration of body, mind and spirit in a pracitical way, empowered by the heart.

Reviews (2)

Can you hear your heart?
An introduction into how the heart works along with feeling your pulse and listening to a hearts beat with amusing illustrations reader can imitate and view diagrams of the heart.

My son frequently will tell me he can hear his heart once he rests after playing around. I figured he would enjoy exploring the activities among the last two pages in Hear Your Heart like How to Measure Your Heart Rate and How to Make a Stethoscope.

There are several kids, adults and babies illustrated among the thirty-three pages of Hear Your Heart in various settings as well as illustrations of the heart in pink, red and black colors. The areas are identified to which is a vein and artery with other illustrations showing arrows in how the heart actually beats.

Hear Your Heart begins with a girl at the Doctor's office showing a real stethoscope that is cold and making the girl shiver. She much prefers her homemade stethoscope made out of a cardboard tube. There are a few pages showing the girl and her sister listening to each other's heart and then other kids doing the same thing.

Hear Your Heart is easy to follow written in a way that kids can understand and comprehend based on the detailed illustrations.The style Hear Your Heart is written in offers all the answers that my child has along the way. This encourages my son to watch the second hand while he counts how many times his heart beats in one minute. There are times we learn like when exercising that the pace will be faster. Also noted is the ninety times a minute for an eight-year old. This is now a figure my son is striving to reach. A man's will be in the area of seventy-two while an infant is around one hundred twenty times a minute.

My son is much more aware of his heart and pulse rate and wants to check everyone that he comes in contact with, including his teddy bear. The activities enhance the book so it becomes more than just a reading tool but an overall learning experience. These books focus on the grades from one to three within the age group of six to nine.

Reviews (1)

Reviews (2)

Great gift for your doctor
Just finished 'stethoscope', another one of those great little books, quick to readbut with long-term thought-provoking side effects. Duke captures the setting sun on a way of medical practice that we can't affordto lose. Should be required reading for anyone thinking of picking up theinstrument or having it placed on them.If you want to know what's been lostto the practice of medicine and how to regain it, read the book. Nopreaching, no lectures just true stories that illustrate the point that thehuman element in healing is the most important one.A great gift for anyonepracticing or about to practice medicine.

Reviews (52)

Is there a doctor in the house?
My now 5 year old got this toy for her 3rd birthday and she has not stopped playing with it-she loves to line up all her dolls and stuffed animals (sometimes even her 3 year old sister) in the "Waiting Room" to get their examinations and necessary shots. It is a MUST for any kid.

Almost perfect for little ones!
We go to the doctor quite often so I knew my 2 year old would get a kick out of this. However, like the other reviews, the case should be bigger and a bit more durable. Also, my son doesn't like to use the put the stethoscope over his ears because they are too tight and hurt his ears. I tried it myself and it really does hurt.

Editorial Review