Written by a psychiatrist in the 1970вЂ™s and something I would consider a forerunner to вЂThis Is Going To HurtвЂ™. Highly recommended for any current or aspiring medic. Understanding research and its results is an essential component of a medical career and this book presents the subject in a hilarious and informative manner. The book discusses the вЂBad ScienceвЂ™ that we are bombarded with in the media and advertising and why we are so gullible. Expect a grounding in вЂevidence-based medicineвЂ™, the mysteries of вЂblindingвЂ™ and that вЂњthe plural of вЂanecdoteвЂ™ is not dataвЂќ! I like some satire and humour in my reads, and this provides a serious but light-hearted opinion on the scientific research methods and their discoveries that we utilise in our day-to-day practices. Essential reading for any aspiring or current medical student. It is beautifully written reflective and deeply personal, it forces one to confront difficult ideas about mortality. He died, aged 37, while still writing his book.

Paul Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon who was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer.

This book is an extremely moving first person account of facing one's own mortality. Paul Kalanithi вЂ“ When Breath Becomes Air.This book sits alongside seminal works by Sir Michael Marmot such as Status Syndrome and The Health Gap, which are also highly recommended reading on the social context of health and disease. Sweden is examined as an example of a healthier society, while the Cuban health paradox is cited as evidence for the impact of relative income equality on improving health at a population level. They describe unequal societies as dysfunctional, highlighting the very real impact inequality has on both physical and mental health.

Written by epidemiologists, The Spirit Level convincingly argues that equality really is better for everyone.

Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett - The Spirit Level.

Oliver Sacks was one of the most prolific and engaging medical writers of his generation, as his books offer a great level of detail on both the conditions, and, crucially, the experiences of the patients in coping with them. Awakenings documents the patients recovering from a sleeping sickness in the Bronx in the 1920s, and the use of the then novel treatment levodopa, while The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is a compilation of 24 essays dealing with a range of different aspects of brain function. Oliver Sacks was a neurologist, who compiled books based on the patients he treated during his career in the US.

Oliver Sacks вЂ“ The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Awakenings.

The Checklist Manifesto was a bestseller, discussing the importance of careful preparation вЂ“ relevant for medicine and the wider world alike! Complications discusses the various challenges faced by surgeons and the errors it is possible to make, while Better details the values of diligence, doing right and ingenuity, which Gawande understands as crucial for success in medicine.

Atul Gawande вЂ“ Complications, Better, The Checklist Manifesto, Being MortalДЄtul Gawande is an American surgeon and Professor of Health Policy who has written several influential books on the philosophy of medicine and medical practice.

Please let us know your thoughts and your own ChloГ«вЂ™s Recommendations: you probably donвЂ™t feel like reading anything else! However, you might want some different material to help you realise why youвЂ™ve chosen this career path - it can be good to hear from others that have come out the other side! Whether youвЂ™re currently studying medicine or if youвЂ™re considering applying for medical school, we realise that alongside all the revision, exam stress, application forms, personal statements etcвЂ¦. Dr ChloГ« Gamlin (Foundation Year 1 Doctor and Lucy Cavendish College graduate) and Mr Christopher Fowell (Fellow & Director of Studies, Lucy Cavendish College) have compiled a list of excellent books to read ahead of medical school applications, starting medical school, or simply for some distraction during lockdown and rescheduled examinations!

Medical books to read