The Boy Who Felt No Pain: Tales from the Pediatric Ward

A pediatric geneticist at Montefiore Hospital in New York City, Marion has intimate knowledge of caring for children with congenital malformations. In this selection of striking cases encountered in his career, he emphasizes the resilience of the human spirit that ``cuts obstacles down to size'' and provides humbling, as well as learning, experiences for medical practitioners. Marion's patients range from children born with grotesqueries (e.g., one child is faceless) to the boy of the title, diagnosed with hereditary sensory neuropathy, a condition that prevents him from feeling pain. These 14 moving and inspiring accounts show an empathetic doctor interacting with patients and their families, about whom he writes, ``The parents of children born with some congenital malady or syndrome are not the same people they were prior to that birth.'' (Sept.)