Counting Backwards: A Doctor's Notes on Anesthesia
倒數：關於麻醉的醫生筆記
內容介紹
撼動人心之作。作者普立茲比羅是位閱歷豐富的麻醉科醫師，他用迷人的筆觸描繪最常見卻始終神秘莫測的醫學領域—麻醉。
美國每年有超過四千萬病患接受過麻醉，對他們而言，這道程序令人恐懼，卻有著無限魅力。在《倒數》中，執業逾三十年的普立茲比羅醫師寫下麻醉的種種故事，難以忘懷、動人心弦。他探索日日經歷的刺激場面、根本謎團。普立茲比羅進行過三萬次以上的麻醉手術，對象包括新生嬰孩、尖叫不歇的幼童、鬱鬱寡歡的青少年、自己的兒子、甚至一頭大猩猩。
富同理心、真誠坦率，他在一則則故事中探究「清醒知覺」的本質，爬梳現代醫學中「止痛」的歷史與科學。這些記事有意外錯誤、差點釀成的災難、深遠的恩惠報答、以及心滿意足的成功。 《倒數》將醫學中最引人入勝卻無人造訪的世界真實地呈現在讀者面前。
作者介紹
Henry Jay Przybylo是名醫學博士，現任美國西北大學醫學系麻醉學助理教授、芝加哥安羅伯特兒童醫院麻醉科主治醫師。他同時擁有古徹學院「非虛構創作」的藝術創作碩士。
書評
“激勵人心的敘事⋯⋯有趣、真誠⋯⋯少見觀察，領人窺探現代醫學裡遭低估卻神秘無比的手術步驟。是任何人書架上不可少的紀實書籍！”—《圖書館學刊》
“我是熬夜看完此書的。普立茲比羅醫師藉由清晰直接的散文，帶領讀者拜訪麻醉科醫師的迷人世界。文筆優美、洞見觀瞻、令人大開眼界，《倒數》是我高度推薦的一本書。” —Stay作者Jennifer Michael Hecht
“引人入勝、富有啟發，探索無形的醫學專門—麻醉。在過程中，我們看似不費力地漂浮於無意識的異世界，但普立茲比羅醫師讓讀者坐在駕駛座，一覽人類生理學的全貌。《倒數》揭開了「活著」這件事的神秘面紗。”—Danielle Ofri（What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear作者、Bellevue Literary Review期刊主編）
"[Pryzbylo] weaves an enjoyable narrative out of . . . the wealth of experience he has gained over more than 30 years . . . [and] offers a rare and thoughtful look behind the scenes of this crucial yet arcane speacialization."
― Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Stirring… A rare peek into the world of one of the more underrated and mysterious procedures in modern medicine."
― Library Journal
"[A] vividly written, candid exploration . . . striking in content and quite moving. . . . A fascinating tour of a mystifying, unnerving, yet precious medical necessity."
― Kirkus
"I stayed up late to finish this book. In clear, direct prose, Dr. Przybylo offers a fascinating tour of the world of an anesthesiologist. Beautifully written, insightful, and informative, Counting Backwards is a great contribution, highly recommended."
― Jennifer Michael Hecht, author of Stay
"An engaging and illuminating exploration of the invisible medical specialty that is anesthesia. We may seem to float effortlessly into an ether-world of unconsciousness during anesthesia, but Dr. Przybylo gives us a cockpit view of the human hands that pull the levers of our physiology. Counting Backwards pulls back the veil on the very act of being alive."
― Danielle Ofri, MD, PhD, author of What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear