Read any significant literature this summer? Here are a some to consider.

Signature in the Cell

This year marks a couple of important Darwin anniversaries. It is 200 years since his birth and 150 years since the publication of the “Origin.” I have long held the view that the neo-Darwinian position is deeply flawed. Here is a book which offers an argument which I consider to be the most substantive case yet that the Darwinian position is untenable. Don’t let me just tell you – go check it out for yourself. Fascinating. The dedicated website is excellent.

Charles Darwin Steve Meyer

Direct Red

How about this from one reviewer – “ It is a useful antidote to the endless stories of heroic surgeons who know exactly what to do. This book is painfully realistic - doctors make mistakes, doctors can't decide, doctors don't like some patients, the National Health Service in Britain is brilliant in theory and sadly inadequate in reality. And sometimes, actually quite often considering the odds, the doctors get it right and save a life.”

How Doctors Think

Every doctor makes mistakes in diagnosis and treatment. The frequency of those mistakes, and their severity, can be reduced by understanding how a doctor thinks and how he or she can think more effectively. The cognitive traps include “Availability” – judging the likelihood of an event by the ease with which it comes to mind, “Confirmation” – confirming what you expect by selectively accepting or ignoring information. Other risks include “Anchoring” – not considering multiple possibilities, “Premature closure” – stopping investigations when something is found and “Diagnostic momentum” – others unquestioningly accepting original diagnoses. It has had a mix of reviews but it certainly looks interesting.

Until next month

David Galloway