Book review

Review of Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Vincent Lam

Stephanie A Nixon^1* and Joel Baetz²

• * Corresponding author: Stephanie A Nixon stephanie.nixon@utoronto.ca

Author Affiliations

¹ University of KwaZulu-Natal and University of Toronto, Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD), University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, J Block, Level 4, University Road, Westville, Durban, South Africa

² York University, Department of English, 208 Stong College, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada

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Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine 2007, 2:14 doi:10.1186/1747-5341-2-14

Published: 15 July 2007

First paragraph (this article has no abstract)

Few first books are fortunate enough to receive both high praise and big awards, but Vincent Lam's Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures deserves the attention. Celebrated by critics and awarded one of Canada's top literary prizes, Bloodletting is a masterful, smart and engaging debut collection of short stories. Part-time writer and full-time emergency-room physician in Toronto, Vincent Lam paints a three-dimensional portrait of physicians grappling with inner struggles, ethical dilemmas and hospital-room obscurities. The collection follows four Toronto doctors – Ming, Sri, Fitzgerald, and Chen – from hopeful undergrads to medical trainees to seasoned physicians. Through their experiences, Lam examines the myths and truths of today's health care world.