Doctors still talk about the house of god novel the new york. It had, according to its author, the worst publishing history of any book ever. The book is called the house of god by samuel shem. Funny, angry, honest, and absurd, the book spotlighted the injustices of medical training and the patient care of that era and was pilloried by. His novels include the house of god, mount misery, and fine. If you dont take a temperature, you cant find a fever. The novel the house of god is a true account of my internship experience at beth israel hospital the bi in 19731974. For most of us, it was not the first time we had read the novel, but rather a return to it after. Iii at a cardiac arrest, the first procedure is to take your own pulse. Some of the medical procedures thankfully are no longer practice with the kind of frequency encountered in the book.
Praise for the house of god the raunchy, troubling, and hilarious novel that turned into a cult phenomenon. It may not be inspirational, but its very funny and true to life. So begins the first day of roy baschs internship in medicine at the house of god, a year chronicled in samuel shems controversial bestselling novel of the same title. Nowadays, however, current housestaff may have heard of the house of god, or might quote famous lines, but it is a rare resident who has actually read the book. Sequel to cult classic house of god skewers money and screens in medicine. Stephen bergman, a psychiatrist, published his nowfamous satirical novel the house of god under the pseudonym samuel shem in august 1978.
This is a novel of resistance, as bergman puts it, and it aims to catalyze change, just as the house of god is credited with fueling reform of medical training. The former is very boring and the second is trite and not at all enjoyable. Over twenty years after its publication the book remains controversial, primarily because of its irreverent tone and the fact that shem opens to public scrutiny how the culture of residency training can actually work against compassionate caregiving, or what. This book was therapeutic for a past generation of house staff at all levels and disciplines. The house of god is one of my all time favorite books. First published in 1978, the house of god was given little fanfare, indeed, almost none. Victoria sweets new book, slow medicine, is on sale now. Sequel to cult classic house of god skewers money and screens.
Bob project in the division on addictions at harvard medical school. Medical resident education 19782008, a collection of essays offering historical perspectives of residency education, philosophical perspectives, literary criticism, and. There is as much genuine human goodness and compassion in this book as there is in any rousing speech by a. Cosmopolitan wonderfully wild, ribald, erotic, bitter, the same spirit as catch22. The book, described by the new york times as raunchy, troubling and hilarious, was viewed as scandalous at the time of its publication, but acquired a cult following and ultimately etched its p. A phenomenon ever since it was published, the house of god was the first unvarnished, unglorified, and uncensored portrait of what training to become a doctor. House of god author skewers corporate medicine in mans. Basch unboundthe house of god and fiction as resistance at 40. They learned about the problems and issues these programs face today. Samuel shems stephen bergman the house of god, first published in 1978, has sold over two million copies in over 50 countries see annotation. He is coauthor with his wife, janet surrey, of the hit offbroadway play bill w. Bob, the story of the founding of alcoholics anonymous winner of the 2007 performing arts award of the national council on alcoholism.
This book contains scriptures about healing, a commentary by brother hagin, and a realife illustration about a woman who diligently took gods medicinehis. The great physician has provided all believers with the ultimate wellness plan. To the editor set in the early 1970s, the house of god is a semiautobiographical account of stephen joseph bergmans aka, samuel shems medical internship in boston. With more than two million copies sold, the work is something of a classic within the medical profession. On december 6, 2018, nyu langone health hosted a series of panel discussions to honor the 40th anniversary of the publication of the novel the house of god, written by faculty member stephen. The rest is up to the individual as to whether or not they have the confidence to take gods medicine on a regular basis.
Its a fast pace, cynical view of medical training that bombs all the. It is essential to read this book for any future physician or physician resident. House of god is a brilliant book in that it refactors perception to place it in the foreground. Participants discovered how the novel impacted medical residency programs and how medical educators use the book today. Based on bergmans experiences as an intern at harvards beth israel hospital, the book rapidly became a staple of any medical residents. Samuel shems medical classic the house of god was written in 1978 and follows a group of medical interns during their first year of residency training. House of god author skewers corporate medicine in mans 4th. Then jacob awoke from his sleep and said, surely the lord is in this place, and i did not know it. In the sequel to the muchloved satire about medical training, author. As a struggling intern, roy basch learns from the fat man the laws of the house of god. It is not an autobiography, nor is it polemical nonfiction, but it does contain elements of both. In both worlds, however, there are survivors and casualties and the house of god probably helped some to survive by the simple fact that misery loves company and company is therapeutic. He is a doctor, novelist, playwright, and activist.
Mixing faith with gods word by speaking it out of your mouth is a means of applying gods medicine. A work of fiction, the novel is loosely based on shems year as a medical intern. Doctors still talk about the house of god novel the. As far as other books go, i would stay away from first, do no harm and kill as few patients as possible. They could not understand how a work that seemed to glamorize an unprofessional, dehumanizing attitude toward patients not to mention containing. Return to the house of god is a scholarly and creative response to the bestselling novel, exploring its impact on medical education, residency training, and the field of literature and medicine. N ew y o rk,n y,d ell,2 0 0 3 first p u b lish ed in h ard co ver. The book is a collection of thoughtful and wellwritten essays grouped by such themes as historical perspective and the laws of the house of god, as well as womens and literary perspectives. The house of god brought attention to medical slang. The novel follows a group of medical interns at a fictionalized version of beth.
Sequel to cult classic house of god skewers money and. A phenomenon ever since it was published, the house of god was the first unvarnished, unglorified, and uncensored portrait of what training to become a doctor is truly like, in all its terror, exhaustion and black comedy. His seemingly paradoxical mantra is that better care for elderly and demented patients means administering fewer tests and treatments. Published in 1978, the house of god is a biting satirical novel that reveals the seamyand sometimes darkly hilariousunderbelly of medicine and medical training.
The house of god gave the public the first insiders look at the underbelly of hospital life, revealing the hazing, abuse and psychological damage inflicted on medical interns back then and introducing the public and generations of doctors especially young ones. Roy basch, a rhodes scholar, thinks differently, until he meets hyper hooper, out to win the most postmortems of the year award, or molly, the nurse with the crash helmet. Participation in a recent ethics symposium at our hospital required one to read the house of god. The medical hierarchy of the house of god is like a pyramid a lot at the bottom and one at the top. Samuel shem is a novelist, playwright, and, for three decades, a member of the harvard medical school faculty. The book was censored by medical school deans, who often kept me from speaking at their schools.
Psychiatrist stephen bergman wrote the novel the house of god under the pen name samuel shem, basing it on his own experience as a medical intern at beth israel hospital 1. In this easytoread booklet, prince explains how to listen for divine directions. The house of god is a satirical novel by samuel shem published in 1978. This is none other than the house of god, and this is the gate of heaven. A rhodes scholar, he was on the faculty of harvard medical school for three decades and founded the bill w. House of god author discusses new sequel in exclusive. It does not shy away from showing the dark side of medicine and truly, as.
If the house of god is the great medical novel of the generation of physicians who came before me, perhaps mans 4th best hospital is the book. Having gone through a medical residency, i can tell you that there is a ton of truth in this book. The house of god is a satirical novel by samuel shem, published in 1978. Revisiting the house of god practicing medicine the. The novel scandalized senior physicians when it first appeared in 1978 2. If the radiology resident and the bms both see a lesion on the chest x ray, there can be. But its brilliant because in the end its not just a romp through hilarious bureaucratic mishaps. This is a novel of resistance, as bergman puts it, and it aims to catalyze change, just as the house of god is credited with fueling reform of medical. The book has sold 3 million copies to date and counting, popular because of its authentic portrayal of medicine and postgraduate training, its rowdy sex and bawdy comedy, and its characters my friends attempt to stay. Shems new fiction checks in with the same crew in the age of medicine by smartphone. Among the contributors are some of the foremost scholars in medical humanities and the most highly respected physician and nursewriters. The book was both reviled and hailed when it came out. Ken cohen has crafted a comprehensive yet accessible compilation of the theory and practice of native american medicine.
In a grouping called rereadings, authors who reread the house of god on its 30th anniversary reflect on how, from a perspective molded by decades of experience and evolution in. The missions debut album, gods own medicine successfully amalgamates the more ambitious aspects of classic rock with sprawling gothic theatricality and style, and is perhaps the bands most outright and successful foray into the more traditional elements of farreaching goth rock sensibility, lyricism and instrumentation. Called the house of god, the book was drawn from real life, and 30 years after its initial publication, it is still part of the medical conversation. Show me a bms who only triples my work and i will kiss his feet. Many of the figures are still at beth israel deaconess. By turns heartbreaking, hilarious, and utterly human, the house of god is a mesmerizing and provocative novel about roy basch and five of his fellow interns at the most.
Samuel shems 1978 novel, the house of god, was a sardonic look at u. The 1978 novel the house of god is a fictional account of the. The 1978 novel the house of god is a fictional account of the internship experience of samuel shem, the pen name of stephen bergman, at beth israel hospital in 19731974. First, i find the healing scriptures that mean something special to me. Samuel shem aka stephen bergman is the author of several books of fiction including the bestseller the house of god. With more than two million copies sold worldwide, it has been hailed as one of the most important medical novels ever written. As in all hospitals, the medical hierarchy of the house of god was a pyramid a lot at the bottom and one at the top. Samuel shem, 34 years after the house of god the atlantic.
The house of god, a book as sexist as it was influential, gets a. The house of god adresses grim and dark topics that are usually not spoken about in literature. Author of god, faith, and health ken cohen writes from a place of beauty, truth, and integrity. This dynamic symposium recognized the 30th anniversary of sam shems novel the house of god. Its 30th anniversary was marked by publication of return to the house of god. The novel follows a group of medical interns at a fictionalized version of beth israel hospital over the course of a year in the early 1970s, focusing on the psychological harm and dehumanization caused by their residency training. The medical hierarchy of the house of god is like a pyramid a lot at the. In 1978, under the pseudonym samuel shem, psychiatrist stephen bergman published the house of god, an iconic novel drawn from his medical internship in boston in the early 1970s. House of god laws rumor has it, when medical interns, residents, and nurses need an attitude adjustment because of what they face all day, they refer to the laws of the house of god the laws come from samuel shems book the house of god. The purpose of this book is to reveal principles from gods word and instruct you in how to.