Take A Deep Breath presents real stories from an Upstate New York doctor: how he succeeds after he leaves the farm and proceeds through professional training. The uncertainty from being a student is erased as he matures professionally during Residency-the doctor relates gritty descriptive accounts of the many people in need. Experience his acute clinical decisions-his own mother, critically ill, dying before his eyes as he advances a pacing-wire into her failing heart. Understand why his practice was so remote, far from the ivy towers of academics. He tells of exceptional events-gripping tales of numerous people in extremis-which were routine moments of his Practice. His words bring us near-compel us to smell the antiseptic, the acridity of burnt flesh as well as the pungency of fabric after a fire. Through his prose, one can taste the drama of resuscitation, the salty tears of failure, and the sweetness of success. From an ER to a lakeside drowning, from acute illness to crushing auto injuries, descriptions are up close and personal. All take us on a serious medical ride. David E. Burns MD

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