Doc

True Tales of Mishaps, Emergencies, and Miracles from a Montana Physician

By: Ron Losee

Narrated by: Rick Adamson

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1949, Ron Losee, a young Yale Medical School graduate, headed west with his wife and small daughter to begin the practice of medicine. They settled in Ennis, Montana, in a log cabin that also became their office and lab. Patients made themselves at home in the living room. One small bag held all their medical equipment. It was a proud moment when a patient first called Losee "Doc." His fee on that occasion was three dollars.

In robust, freewheeling prose, Doc Losee - now internationally known for his work in orthopedic surgery - shares nearly half a century of dedicated doctoring, evoking the rich flavor of Montana and the dramatic dilemmas that never cease to haunt the country doctor. Exhilarating and entertaining, Doc is a moving reminder of what people - doctors and patients--can be and do. It's the perfect cure for what ails us.

©1994, 2011 Ronald E. Losee (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Engaging

This is a delightful memoir of a rural physician in Montana. The book opens with Losee attending Yale University Medical School during World War II. The class was being pushed through because of the great need for physicians for the War. In 1946 he and his wife moved to Denver for his residence training. They decided they wanted to live in the west so after he completed his training and he was discharged from the Army they drove around the west looking for a place to set up his practice. They eventually landed in Ennis, Montana. After a few years doing family practice, Losee decided he needed more training in orthopedics. He did a two-year orthopedic specialty training at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. They returned to Ennis where he continued to practice until his retirement. Losee developed an operative technique for the knee that is in common use today. You will need to read the book to discover what it is.

The book is well written and full of tales about the people of Montana and the various medical problems encountered in a rural practice. Near the end of the book I enjoyed the poems written by a local nurse about “DOC” and the little hospital. The book also provided a glimpse of how medicine has changed over the years, not only medical techniques but the business aspects and the interaction between physician and patient.

Rick Adamson did a good job narrating the book. Adamson is a voiceover artist and a 2011 Audie Award winning audiobook narrator for non-fiction.

Damned Fine Book

Doc Losee is a god among men. In a part of the country where doctor's are few and far between he dedicated his life to the people. His ethical stance towards medicine and groundbreaking work in the field of Anterior Cruciate Ligament repairs and nonsurgical intervention is by far worth the read but for me the reason to read this book was much more simple. To remember the personalized care and forthright honesty which can be given by a medical professional like Dr. Losee moved me to tears. we can all do better. I'm so damned glad he wrote this book and I'm so damned glad Olive kept him going.