Behind the Mask by David Gelber, MD

Do not be deterred by the cold medical cover or the fear of multisyllabic medical lingo, this book is a little gem and a must read.

It’s amazing how clear the writing is, how concise the phrases are and how interesting it all is. It’s hard to think a book about surgeons could be a page turner, but it truly is. In particular I enjoyed the chapter called The Villain, which deals mainly with post-operative infections and how the doctors have managed throughout the ages to combat them. There are so many interesting facts.
I learned, for example, about an organ I’d never heard about that protects our abdominal cavities, wrapping itself around our injuries like a blanket to keep infections from spreading further. That is just one example of the myriad of facts I gleamed from this book.

If you are like me, and non-fiction is not your first choice, I urge you to not turn this book aside; it is well worth your time. You just might learn something, I know, the horror!