Paul W. Brand (1914–2003)

Well, it took me far too long to get through this and now someone appears to have stolen my copy, so I guess it's time to mark it as finished. Funnily enough, I was literally on the last chapter and would have finished it today anyway... Ah well!

It is a lengthy book with lots of repetition, but the essential content is good. Lots of medical anecdotes, front-ended with the author's experiences in treating leprosy. Beyond giving the reader a better understanding and appreciation of the role of pain in life, there's also a lot of good stuff to do with the power of the mind in creating or exacerbating physical health problems. That's something I have, through personal experience, become very tuned into, but I was still surprised by some of what is detailed here. Nevertheless, it needed a more aggressive edit.

The book is presented as religious and that association is strengthened by apparent co-author Philip Yancey. I'm not sure what Yancey's role was in this, but the entire book is from the perspective of Dr. Brand. The Christian connection is practically nonexistent and not really the focus. This is first and foremost a set of medical memoirs.

Worth the read, and I hope the now-owner of my copy finds it enlightening.

3.5… (mehr)