For those interested in what life is like in the ER for doctors and nurses then this is the book for you. This is also the book that inspired the tv show ER. In it Crichton who was a doctor talks about five patients who came into the ER with unusual symptoms and how the doctors and students had to work together to figure out what was wrong with them. He also talks about the different people who would come to the ER. As someone who once worked at a hospital as a patient care tech fancy name for nurses aide. I was often in the midst of chaos so I found this book super interesting. It really does make you look at doctors and nurses quite different. Highly recommend!

I found this an interesting insight to the working of a hospital in the late 60s. Crichton's writing method always made any subject matter interesting and
digestible, this is a quick and satisfying read.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure why this book was on my list. I imagine I put it down because there was a time when I said I should read all Michael Crichton books. Well, at least I can mark this one as read but it was an unnecessary read even if it kept my attention and was interesting. The author's note stated that Crichton decided not to revise the text even though medicine had drastically changed in the 25 years since he first wrote Five Patients - the author's note was written in 1994.

1994!!!!

Five Patients was first published in 1970. If a lot in medicine changed between 1994 and 1970, how much more so is the book outdated 30 additional years in 2024?! I'd say likely a considerable amount to the point where I basically have to take what I read with a grain of salt. Both my brother and one of my sisters work in hospitals, as an RT and a nurse respectively. I would only be curious on their opinions and how it compares to their experiences.

The book is organized around several patients and my original thought was that these "chapters" would read a bit like an "ER" script. Instead, Crichton used the stories of these patients to talk about "the American hospital". This book is a glimpse into that strange world that most of us only go to on very bad days.

This was required reading for 11th grade science. Not bad for a forced read.

Some interesting bits but a bit outdated today.

Not as riveting as Travels but still a very interesting book.

Summary of the state of medical care in the late 1960s-1970 at Mass General. The 5 patients discussed are an accoutrement to keep the reader engaged and the resolution of each case plays out in sometimes unexpected ways. I credit Chrichton with NOT revising this book so that we could have his initial historical reflections. Well worth the read.

I actually didn’t realise that Michael Crichton had ever done any medical books - admittedly he’s best known for Jurassic Park, so perhaps I only had him shelved as a sci-fi writer in my head.

For whatever reason, I’ve been rewatching ER lately, and I discovered that Crichton (who wrote the show) had also written this, an account of 5 specific patients he saw as a fourth year Harvard medical student.

It honestly reminded me of the same sort of hustle and bustle one sees in an episode of ER, so I really liked this side of the book. However, the book is very much dated - it was written in the late 60s, so much of Crichton’s coverage of contemporary issues with American healthcare are a bit anachronistic, but interesting nonetheless.

Maybe I’m too generous but I’m a Crichton fan— I love that he blends his academic and medical training with his fiction. I love that he is a clear and beautiful writer.

I purchased this 50+ year old book (okay so mine is a later edition but the first edition was from 1970!) unaware it was nonfiction. My copy has a post-ER preface from 1994.

Crichton observations over the years serve as harbingers for what medicine has become.

And Logan Airport had computerized telemedicine in the late 1960s?!?!

I get the appeal of this book and I love Crichton (probably my favorite author), but this just wasn't for me. Well written and some fascinating stuff, but I could take it or leave it.

I loved it. Just the right amount of excitement and fun.

When I picked this book up, I didn't even know that it was non fiction. I wanted some whirlwind Crichton story to escape the exams. After starting I thought that I wouldn't continue after a few pages. However, those few pages were all it took me.
This is a brilliant book from cover to cover. The different aspects of the hospital are brought forth with reference to five specific patients. I almost felt like being a part of the day to day operations of the hospital, even though I have no medical training at all. The presentation is very lucid, attractive, and detailed. The severed arm chapter is a favorite, where he details the surgery procedure.
It really is an amazing, almost first person insight into medical school. Medical students would love it, I think.