The Deadly Dinner Party : And Other Medical Detective Stories

Picking up where Berton Roueché’s The Medical Detectives left off, The Deadly Dinner Party presents fifteen edge-of-your-seat, real-life medical detective stories written by a practicing physician. Award-winning author Jonathan Edlow, M.D., shows the doctor as detective and the epidemiologist as elite sleuth in stories that are as gripping as the best thrillers.In these stories a notorious stomach bug turns a suburban dinner party into a disaster that almost claims its host; a diminutive woman routinely eats more than her football-playing boyfriend but continually loses weight; a young executive is diagnosed with lung cancer, yet the tumors seem to wax and wane inexplicably. Written for the lay person who wishes to better grasp how doctors decipher the myriad clues and puzzling symptoms they often encounter, each story presents a very different case where doctors must work to find the accurate diagnosis before it is too late. Edlow uses his unique ability to relate complex medical concepts in a writing style that is clear, engaging and easily understandable. The resulting stories both entertain us and teach us much about medicine, its history and the subtle interactions among pathogens, humans, and the environment. (20100320) Some Think That The Work Of A Physician Is Like That Of A Scientist--based On Careful Observation Leading To A Hypothesis That Is Then Tested To Determine Its Veracity. The Job Of An Emergency Room Physician, However, Is More Like That Of A Detective Than A Scientist. As An Er Physician, Edlow (beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) Does A Lot Of Sleuthing: Working Back From Symptom Clues To Determine A Diagnosis. He Exemplifies This Methodology In The Form Of Medical Mystery Thrillers In This New Collection Of 15 True Stories. It Reminds Readers That Many Known Clinical Entities Started Out As A Vague Class Of Symptoms; An Example Is Lyme Disease, Which Edlow Has Also Written About (in Bull's-eye: Unraveling The Medical Mystery Of Lyme Disease, Ch, Jan'04, 41-2836). The Genre Of The Medical Detective Story Was Established Through The Prolific Work Of Berton Roueche, To Whom Edlow Pays Homage. It Is Presently Found In Television Form In The Popular Series House. Edlow Presents Cases Of Mass Food Poisoning, Lung Cancer, Hyperthyroidism, And More, Under Fun Titles (e.g., The Case Of The Overly Hot Honeymoon) And In An Engaging Narrative Full Of Twists And Turns. It Is An Entertaining Read. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level Undergraduates And General Readers. M.m. Gillis University Of Nevada School Of Medicine. The Deadly Dinner Party -- Everywhere That Mary Went -- The Baby And The Bathwater -- Rubbed The Wrong Way -- The Forbidden Fruit -- Two Ticks From Jersey -- An Airtight Case -- Monday Morning Fever -- The Case Of The Wide-eyed Boy -- A Study In Scarlet -- The Case Of The Overly Hot Honeymoon -- Feeling His Oats -- The Case Of The Unhealthy Health Food -- Little Luisa's Blinding Headache -- Too Much Of A Good Thing. Jonathan A. Edlow. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 211-235) And Index. Picking up where Berton Roueche's The Medical Detectives left off, The Deadly Dinner Party presents fifteen edge-of-your-seat, real-life medical detective stories written by a practicing physician. Award-winning author Jonathan Edlow, M.D., shows the doctor as detective and the epidemiologist as elite sleuth in stories that are as gripping as the best thrillers. In these stories a notorious stomach bug turns a suburban dinner party into a disaster that almost claims its host; a diminutive woman routinely eats more than her football-playing boyfriend but continually loses weight; a young executive is diagnosed with lung cancer, yet the tumors seem to wax and wane inexplicably. Written for the lay person who wishes to better grasp how doctors decipher the myriad clues and puzzling symptoms they often encounter, each story presents a very different case where doctors must work to find the accurate diagnosis before it is too late. Edlow uses his unique ability to relate complex medical concepts in a writing style that is clear, engaging and easily understandable. The resulting stories both entertain us and teach us much about medicine, its history and the subtle interactions among pathogens, humans, and the environment. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 Part One: HUMAN MEETS PATHOGEN......Page 16 1. The Deadly Dinner Party......Page 18 2. Everywhere That Mary Went......Page 33 3. The Baby and the Bathwater......Page 49 4. Rubbed the Wrong Way......Page 61 5. The Forbidden Fruit......Page 73 Part Two: THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT......Page 88 6. Two Ticks from Jersey......Page 90 7. An Airtight Case......Page 103 8. Monday Morning Fever......Page 117 9. The Case of the Wide-Eyed Boy......Page 131 Part Three: THE INTERNAL MILIEU......Page 144 10. A Study in Scarlet......Page 146 11. The Case of the Overly Hot Honeymoon......Page 159 12. Feeling His Oats......Page 173 13. The Case of the Unhealthy Health Food......Page 185 14. Little Luisa’s Blinding Headache......Page 199 15. Too Much of a Good Thing......Page 212 Sources......Page 226 B......Page 252 C......Page 253 E......Page 254 I......Page 255 M......Page 256 O......Page 257 P......Page 258 S......Page 259 X......Page 260 The world is filled with bizarre and fascinating ways to fall ill. Stories of everyday people caught up in medical crises which take deduction and detective work to solve