THE MEDICAL JUNGLE

A surgeon shares the story of his personal and professional life.

In this memoir, Veith (with co-author Plaskin) looks back on his decades of work in vascular surgery, reflecting on his contributions to the field, the changes it’s undergone, and the politics of the health care industry. The book follows a chronological path from Veith’s childhood, his decision to pursue medicine, his 1950s military service and early medical training, and his years at New York City’s Montefiore Medical Center, where he spent most of his long career. The surgeon describes the techniques he and his team developed to improve the success of lung transplants, minimize the need for amputations, and extend the reach of vascular surgery. The book also details his unsuccessful crusade to establish vascular surgery as its own medical specialty; his role as a mentor, with several junior colleagues sharing their stories of working for him in brief essays; and his efforts to share knowledge through an annual symposium. An appendix includes the full text of several papers and speeches mentioned in the main text. The book owes its title to Veith’s assessment of his employers, professional associations, and the medical community as an environment in which good work can be accomplished and collegiality can be found but where it’s equally possible to get caught up in infighting and self-interest. Although the word prestigious, in reference to institutions, grants, and publications, is distractingly overused, the author comes across as a generous collaborator, describing his colleagues’ contributions in detail and making it clear that his successes were group efforts. Readers with medical backgrounds will appreciate Veith's vibrant, detailed descriptions of medical procedures, but nonspecialists will also find it easy to follow. Veith effectively tells a story that encompasses dramatic advances in the medical field over decades while also taking a cleareyed look at the industry’s challenges.

An engaging and evocative medical memoir.