‘A searing, deeply humane collection of essays about medical practice that has all the makings of a modern classic’

Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an
Imperfect Science
Atul Gawande
In these gripping accounts of true cases, bestselling author
Atul Gawande performs exploratory surgery on medicine
itself, laying bare a science not in its idealised form, but as it
actually is – complicated, perplexing and profoundly human.
Dramatic and revealing stories of patients and doctors explore
how deadly mistakes occur, what happens when medicine
comes up against the inexplicable and what it feels like to
insert your knife into someone.
‘A series of touching, scary and riveting stories about illness
and healing’ Nicci Gerrard, 
Observer
‘Ever wondered how realistic 
ER
is? Then read Gawande’s
superb book. The truth, you will find, is far more compelling …
Gawande makes the scenes far more dramatic than television
ever can. He is a first-class writer.’ 
Scotland on Sunday
‘A model synthesis of personal confession, introspection and
systems analysis on which the serious work of reducing
medical error could be based’ 
Lancet
‘I don’t know if Atul Gawande was born to be a surgeon – I
very much suspect so – but he was certainly born to write. [A]
… wise and exciting account of life as a surgical resident’
Bill Bryson
ISBN: 978 1 84668 132 5
Available through Profile Books
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