Lisa Sanders (1) (1956–)

This book describes symptoms that are, at first, mystifying. No one knows exactly what is wrong with the patient. To get to the bottom of it, tests are performed, medications are tried, and then someone says, “I’ve seen that before – it’s this very rare condition.” Appropriate treatment is administered, and the patient improves or is cured.

The book is organized by type of symptom (e.g., headaches, rashes, fevers, unexplained weakness, etc.), supported by short magazine-style articles for each case. It is written in (mostly) non-technical terminology and does not require advanced scientific knowledge. The cases are all from the United States, except one from the Caribbean.

It will appeal to those who are curious about unusual medical conditions. I can see value in it for medical professionals who may encounter them. But I would not read it in the expectation of finding out the answer to a current pressing medical question related to your own health, as the situations described in this book are extremely rare.
… (meer)

I love the mystery solving that goes into diagnosis, and this book has many examples. I actually watched her show on Netflix back in 2019, but somehow did not realize there was a book until I saw it on bookstagram last week.

I don;t think the show is a rehash of this book, as nothing struck me as familiar. The individual profiles are all very interesting, as is her belief in crowd-sourcing diagnostics. All family members are encouraged to give info, and residents and students are all brought into the diagnosis. Because anyone could have that one little bit of info that strikes someone else as key.… (meer)