Review of Doctor in the World

[Chimomaebuka Ejimchi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Doctor in the World" by Hiram Baddeley.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Doctor in the World by Hiram Baddeley is an autobiography that is centered on Hiram's experiences in the healthcare sector. It begins with his passion that was kindled by his father's service in the medical sector and how he had enrolled to become a doctor. Eventually, he decided to practice diagnostic radiology. The book also documented landmark development in medical history and how the author had witnessed or contributed to most of them.

Aside from the book being an account of the author's medical practice, it also contains several lessons and recommendations that can lead to the improvement of the medical sector. For example, the author recommended that well-paid employees should contribute to their healthcare. Also, the book revealed several hidden truths about the medical sector. For example, contrary to the public notion that healthcare practitioners save lives, the author showed that healthcare practitioners only extend the lives of sick persons. From his experiences gained in traveling around countries, the author was able to conclude, rightly, that medical care in developing countries needs more resources and that there is a need to maintain donated medical facilities in this part of the world.

There are some positive aspects of the book. The book is enlightening on some of the various levels of development that have occurred in the medical sector. The book also contains practical recommendations from the author, who can be considered an expert in the field, on how countries, whether developing or developed, can use to better their healthcare service. The book was also professionally edited.

There are also a few negative aspects of the book. First, the format the book is written in is poor. The book is an autobiography that falls under the genre of a novel; therefore, it should have been written in chapters. Rather, the author preferred using headings and subheadings in writing the book without clearly dividing the book into chapters. Also, the brevity of the divisions in the book made reading it tiring. Considering the size of the book, a reader may get tired of reading the book before finishing it. Second, the book does not have a consistent progression and flow. In recounting his experiences, the author went back and forth with little care of alerting the reader of the movement. For example, the author recounted an experience that happened in 2005 before going back, in a later part of the book, to an event that occurred much earlier. Next, the book leaves a reader in confusion regarding whether the essence of the author moving from one country to another is in the development of his medical career, in contributing to the development of the medical sector, or for the sake of getting a job to provide for his family. Lastly, only once did the author consult his wife in his decision to relocate, as stated in the book. This portrays the author as a selfish person who is interested in himself and the advancement of his career without caring much about how the constant change will affect his wife and children.

Considering the negative aspects of the book, I will be rating the book three out of five stars. I did not rate the book lower because it was an informative and helpful read. I recommend this book to world leaders, particularly in developing countries who are interested in finding ways to improve their healthcare sector. I also recommend this book to all people who genuinely want to learn about the development of healthcare practice in the world, particularly in Britain.

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Doctor in the World
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