Better...(the Hippocratic Oath Reviewed)

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Atul Gawande is a general and endocrine surgeon of Indian origin, practising in Boston. So what makes his latest book Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance relevant to us half the world away? Well, it's a find for regular readers, almost as much as for all those idealistic medical students out there. And I have to say, I think fellow doctors could do worse than to flip through Better. Gawande, a Rhodes Scholar, writes seemingly common-sensical stuff, but with an edge. Take, for example, the importance of 'Washing Up' (Chapter 1), when it comes to doctors, nurses and other medical staff. "Rising infection rates from superresistant bacteria have become the norm around the world" - this I've definitely read about. But what really hits home is Gawande's description of a team's effort to get all the medical staff to clean up and how even a SEVENTY....