The Good, the Bad, and the Homely

Wry and often laugh-out-loud funny, Moore writes like Dave Barry under the influence of Dickens and Hawthorne. His dense, wordy style takes getting used to, but it's worth the effort. Unlike medical writers who dispense advice and report on trends, Moore, a plastic surgeon in Tallahassee, Fla., and a columnist for the Journal of the Florida Medical Association, offers offbeat commentaries on whatever strikes his fancy. Usually, there's a medical connection (and even some confusing medical terms), but Moore is just as comfortable discoursing about his ancient Toyota and family pets as he is about HIV (which he claims is smarter than the U.S. Congress) and preferred payment plans (he'll accept vegetables in lieu of cash). Occasionally, he turns poignant, as when reflecting on patients such as the one who threatened to kill him only to discover that her condition was the result of a fatal illness, not malpractice. But the bulk of these essays, culled from his JFMA columns, tend to showcase Moore's inability to take much of anything too seriously--himself included. Some readers will likely be turned off by his glibness, but others will laugh along with him as he pokes fun at targets both easy (HMO administrators, malpractice lawyers, chiropractors) and sacred (National Breast Awareness Week, silicone breast implants and the prostate). For those who share Moore's quirky sense of humor, this book will be a delight to read. (Jan.)