Under the Ether Dome: A Physician's Apprenticeship at Massachusetts General Hospital

As background to an account of his internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he is now a resident, Hoffmann summarizes the history of the prestigious facility. With considerable literary flair and perspective, he describes how frustrations as well as surprises and rewards during the arduous training brought him often to ""the verge of discontent,'' but helped him evolve a sense of values and change his feelings from those of a nervous ``imposter'' to confidence tempered by humility and gallows humor. Unusual in a book of this kind is the gratitude expressed by the author to the nurses and to the patients from whom he learned and whom he appreciates as unique human beings. He also offers his views on medical ethics in patient relationships, which he considers are insufficiently emphasized in training, as are non-biological/anatomical models as ways of understanding and treating illness. (February 23)