Under the Drapes by David Gelber

"Under the Drapes: More Mystique of Surgery" takes the reader into the world of surgery and surgeons, exploring why they operate, while detailing the variety of medical conditions that lead patients to the operating suite. The interaction between surgeon and patient is also examined in humorous and poignant ways. Pitfalls of surgery, as well as miraculous recoveries are presented and discussed. “Under the Drapes" is an informative and moving follow-up to Dr. Gelber's previous book which delved into the surgeon's mind by looking "Behind the Mask."

This is the second book about surgery that Dr. Gelber has written, and this one was even better than the first one.

There is a wealth of information in here, and I don’t just mean for people in the medical field, but for anyone who reads it. It’s an intimate look at what goes on “behind the scenes” during surgery, with plenty of examples drawn from the author’s own practice or that of his colleagues. It can be a bit jarring at first to jump right in, because there are many, many medical terms, but, with a glossary in the back, it quickly becomes fascinating to see what each of those words means.

I particularly enjoyed the chapter called “Disasters”, mainly because of the honesty in the writing. The entire chapter is about medical cases that, for one reason or another, went wrong. The way that Dr. Gelber tells us about them, the sincerity in the way he describes what would have been a better procedure or better choice in hindsight, is worth the whole book.

That chapter is followed by some lighter ones, in which the author contemplates what it’d be like to treat superheroes like Superman or Spiderman, which is hilarious, and then another chapter on the surgical devices he’d like to create if reality and money wasn’t an issue. Very amusing as well.

This is a fascinating book, and I highly recommend it.