BOOK REVIEW - The Scalpel and the Soul: Encounters with Surgery, the Supernatural, and the Healing Power of Hope
By Allan J. Hamilton, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Tarcher/Penguin, 2008, $23.95
The competitive nature of medical school, the grueling residencies, the constant exposure to suffering, and life-or-death responsibility often lead doctors to protect themselves by adopting attitudes of cynicism, emotional distancing, and denial of anything that can’t be explained by science. Allan J. Hamilton, M.D., shows that beyond these self-protective devices are the fragile souls of men and women trying to shield themselves from the enormity of the daily pain they must face — and sometimes inflict.
The author, a Harvard-trained neurosurgeon, is professor of neurosurgery and clinical professor in the departments of radiation oncology and psychology at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center. In this book, Hamilton describes how his encounters with near-death experiences, premonitions, unexpected healings, and other events that medical science could not explain led him to “grapple with the conundrum of the soul.” He learned that no one can keep Spirit out of the operating room or ICU and that patients need soul-care as much as they need medical intervention.
These stories of encounters with Spirit, some reluctantly told for fear of the discrediting that often occurs among medical and scientific professionals, will help doctors and patients navigate the turbulent waters surrounding a diagnosis of life-threatening illness. They illustrate the healing power of hope and help us realize that whether we are doctor or patient, we are fragile yet amazingly resilient beings.
Tarcher/Penguin, 2008, $23.95
The competitive nature of medical school, the grueling residencies, the constant exposure to suffering, and life-or-death responsibility often lead doctors to protect themselves by adopting attitudes of cynicism, emotional distancing, and denial of anything that can’t be explained by science. Allan J. Hamilton, M.D., shows that beyond these self-protective devices are the fragile souls of men and women trying to shield themselves from the enormity of the daily pain they must face — and sometimes inflict.
The author, a Harvard-trained neurosurgeon, is professor of neurosurgery and clinical professor in the departments of radiation oncology and psychology at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center. In this book, Hamilton describes how his encounters with near-death experiences, premonitions, unexpected healings, and other events that medical science could not explain led him to “grapple with the conundrum of the soul.” He learned that no one can keep Spirit out of the operating room or ICU and that patients need soul-care as much as they need medical intervention.
These stories of encounters with Spirit, some reluctantly told for fear of the discrediting that often occurs among medical and scientific professionals, will help doctors and patients navigate the turbulent waters surrounding a diagnosis of life-threatening illness. They illustrate the healing power of hope and help us realize that whether we are doctor or patient, we are fragile yet amazingly resilient beings.
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