The Scalpel and the Soul: Encounters with Surgery, the Supernatural, and the Healing Power of Hope
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A Harvard-educated neurosurgeon reveals his experiences-in and out of the operating room-with apparitions, angels, exorcism, after-death survival, and the miracle of hope.The Scalpel and the Soul explores how premonition, superstition, hope, and faith not only become factors in how patients feel but can change outcomes. It validates the spiritual manifestations physicians see every day and empowers patients to voice their spiritual needs when they seek medical help. Finally, it addresses the mysterious, attractive powers the soul exerts during life-threatening events. Publishers Weekly Hamilton has led a remarkable life as a neurosurgeon. There are moments in this spiritual memoir when readers will wish he were their personal guide for the scariest of surgeries. In many ways, this is a story about "real" doctors as Hamilton understands them-people with exemplary bedside manners who not only make life-and-death decisions for the most vulnerable of the sick, but who have the vision (sometimes literally) to sit and listen as long as it takes, to take patients' hands, dealing with their questions and fears with the utmost gentleness and an eye toward the transcendent and supernatural. Readers will be moved by stories of former patients like "Thomas," a child burn victim with such a gift of spirit that he could manage joy despite his tragic condition, and "Donald," a brave man determined to live life to the fullest despite a vicious brain tumor. Hamilton's voice soars when he reflects directly on his experience as a brain surgeon, the bulk of which occurs (unfortunately) in the book's second half. In light of these high points, Hamilton's occasionally stumbling and awkward prose when straying from his patients' sides can seem jarring. (Mar. 13)Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information
Foreword Andrew Weil, M.D. ixIntroduction xiCrystal Ball 1Ogooue: River of Doubt 11The Dying of the Light 29Is There a Doctor in the House? 45No One Dies with Harvard Numbers 54From Flesh to Spirit 64Queen of the Gypsies 79Incidental Finding 88Mother-and-Child Reunion 94The Exorcist 106Thread of Hope 126Singing in the Brain 141For the Love of God 154The Surgeon Who Became a Murderer 166Luck of the Draw 179Soul Survivor 188Epilogue: Decent Interval 205Twenty Rules to Live By 213Acknowledgments 243Index 249
