An E.R. Memoir Conveys Hectic Work, Empathy and Outrage

In "The Emergency," Thomas Fisher writes about his work at a Chicago hospital and the inequities of American health care.

Thomas Fisher's memoir, "The Emergency," is about being an emergency room doctor on Chicago's South Side; it's a busy book about a busy man.

The doors open, and in they flow: mostly poor patients with grease burns, heart failure, broken bones, unexplained bleeding, STDs, ectopic pregnancies, feet rotting from diabetes, untreated mental illness, head wounds, bullet holes.

Fisher has three minutes, on average, to spend with each hurting person, before passing them along or sending them home. He makes quick decisions; observing him is like observing an elite basketball team's starting point guard, with the clock always ticking.

This book reminds us how permanently interesting our bodies are, especially when they go wrong. Fisher's account of his days is gripping. While reading, we are all, helplessly, medical voyeurs... nyt