No House Calls: Irreverent Notes on the Practice of Medicine

Gott, a general practitioner in Connecticut and syndicated newspaper columnist, has put together a sometimes insightful, sometimes sanctimonious collection of both new and previously published essays on virtually every aspect of medicine. The author, who began his newspaper sideline with what he calls ""informational material,'' would have been well advised to concentrate on that. The pieces on health advice are more interesting than the essays on the current state of medical practice. Half the book is devoted to Gott's critical pontification on doctors and their expensive cars, doctors and their insensitivity and doctors who keep patients waiting. And even the health information pieces are a mixed bag: some, such as those about the high alcohol content in certain medicines and the effects of megadoses of vitamins, are detailed and instructive. Others, like a piece on generic drugs, are thin and leave the reader with many substantive questions. Gott's writing is labored and while the range of topics is diverse, some themes are repeated so often they become tedious. (October 30)