Well, it took me far too long to get through this and now someone appears to have stolen my copy, so I guess it's time to mark it as finished. Funnily enough, I was literally on the last chapter and would have finished it today anyway... Ah well!

It is a lengthy book with lots of repetition, but the essential content is good. Lots of medical anecdotes, front-ended with the author's experiences in treating leprosy. Beyond giving the reader a better understanding and appreciation of the role of pain in life, there's also a lot of good stuff to do with the power of the mind in creating or exacerbating physical health problems. That's something I have, through personal experience, become very tuned into, but I was still surprised by some of what is detailed here. Nevertheless, it needed a more aggressive edit.

The book is presented as religious and that association is strengthened by apparent co-author Philip Yancey. I'm not sure what Yancey's role was in this, but the entire book is from the perspective of Dr. Brand. The Christian connection is practically nonexistent and not really the focus. This is first and foremost a set of medical memoirs.

Worth the read, and I hope the now-owner of my copy finds it enlightening.

3.5 ( )

51491

I decided to read this book after watching a documentary about the Carville, Louisiana Leprosorium, at which Dr. Brand served for 20 years. Brand became a surgeon in London during World War II, and at its conclusion was detached to India to work with lepers to serve his time in the English military. Brand was the first doctor to recognize that much of the suffering of those with leprosy was not the result of “bad flesh,” but rather their inability to feel any pain. Without pain, they would unknowingly injure themselves and those wounds would become infected, often leading to amputations. Brand developed methods of hand surgery to release hands from their telltale “claw” in hopes of restoring patients to a meaningful life. He dedicated himself not just to the medical needs of his patients, but to other aspects of their lives impacted by disease, treating the whole patient rather than merely the physical effects of the disease. Dr. Brand has a deep-seated belief that pain is a gift that protects our bodies and on which most healthy people can reasonably rely, and everything in this book is the proof he offers of that belief.

The above description makes this book sound scientific and perhaps dull, but it is anything but. It is dense with stories of his childhood as the son of missionaries in the mountains of India, his training as a surgeon under admired mentors, and of course wonderful stories of his successes, and failures, with the lepers. While he refers to his Christian faith primarily at the end of this book, it’s not a significant part of this work as I expected, given it was co-authorized by Philip Yancey. I found this book interesting on many levels and would recommend it to anyone interested in absorbing non-fiction. ( )

The main thesis is that pain is an invaluable part of our nervous system; to demonstrate this, the first part of the book charts much of Dr Brand's early life, and his calling into medicine and - eventually - working with a leprosy mission in India as an orthopedic surgeon. I had already read his biography, 'Ten Fingers for God', less than a year ago; so some of the material was not new to me.

Nonetheless, it was written in such an interesting way that I didn't skim; there were extra reminiscences and asides which, as ever, were fascinating to read. There were also several medical histories which I had not previously read about.

Excellent! Highly recommended. Christian input is low-key so likely to be of interest to anyone. ( )

Fascinating and inspiring account of the life and work of Dr Paul Brand in working with lepers. Detailed explanation of the nervous system of the human body. Included interesting details of the London Blitz during WWII while in residency. Interesting application of Dr Brands healing techniques for diabetics.