Medical Paradoxes

This is my first NetGalley review and I chose Medical Paradoxes by Francisco Kerdel-Vegas because I was intrigued by the subtitle Contradictions in Modern Medicine and by the painting on the cover. I found the book very interesting and original, I particularly enjoyed that the author raised difficult questions and explored ethical dilemmas in his paradoxes but did not force his own opinion or solutions on the reader. The book was originally published in Spanish and a fluid translation in English is provided by Kate Auckland.

This ebook has several preliminary chapters: foreword, introduction, prologue, preface and preliminary considerations. The longest of these serves to set in context the paradoxes and covers areas including: the history and significance of medicine, the right to health, human dignity, the Hippocratic oath etc. The main part of the book is dedicated to the 100 paradoxes, most of them pit two conflicting areas against each other. Some paradoxes fit a range of overarching themes which include: ethics, use of resources, euthanasia, different medical approaches (clinical, molecular, laboratory, pharmaceutical), duty of States and so on. This is followed by an epilogue, a chapter on where medicine is going, a chapter on current challenges in medicine, references and wider reading. It is the seminal work of an illustrious career which has spanned several decades.

I enjoyed the variety of issues presented, some were more familiar to me such as the conflicting health information regarding the consumption of alcohol or the pressures on health systems of a growing elderly population. Others were completely new and fascinating such those centred on particular medical conditions or treatment approaches. Each paradox is only a few pages long, but the author manages to encapsulate the key issues, the writing is clear with any medical terms clearly explained. Whilst this book is aimed at medical students it requires no prior knowledge of medicine or science, so would appeal to a broader range of readers (I am not a medic). A strong motif throughout the book is the importance of the doctor-patient relationship, as well as informing readers and thus making them better doctors (or patients) is also fosters an understanding of the other party’s concerns and motivations. Sensitivity to these conflicting needs makes better humanists of everyone.