A while ago, a listener recommended a couple of books by a Boston-based surgeon. The two books deal with the imperfect nature of medical science and on the ways that new techniques are discovered and brought into practice (especially during wartime).

I have included links to both of them below. I think they fall on the required reading list for anyone in the medical field. They are thought provoking and provide a good starting point for discussions on changing health care.

Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande

Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande