Counting Backwards, Henry Jay Przybylo, MD
Counting Backwards, Henry Jay Przybylo, MD
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Counting Backwards
A Doctor's Notes on Anesthesia

Author: Henry Jay Przybylo, MD

Narrator: Tom Perkins

Unabridged: 5 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/14/2017


Synopsis

For many of the 40 million Americans who undergo anesthesia each year, it is a source of great fear and fascination. In Counting Backwards, Dr. Henry Jay Przybylo—an anesthesiologist with more than thirty years of experience—has written an unforgettable account of the routine procedure's daily dramas and fundamental mysteries. Przybylo has administered anesthesia more than 30,000 times in his career—erasing consciousness, denying memory, and immobilizing the body before reversing all of these effects—on newborn babies, screaming toddlers and sullen teenagers, his own son, and even a gorilla. With compassion and candor, he weaves his experiences into intimate stories that explore the nature of consciousness, the politics of pain relief, and the wonder of modern medicine.

Through its intense and humane tales of mistakes, near-disasters, life-saving successes, and moments of grace, Counting Backwards shines a light on one of the most fascinating but unexplored corners of the medical world.

About Henry Jay Przybylo, MD

Henry Jay Przybylo, MD, is an associate professor of anesthesiology at Northwestern University School of Medicine. He also holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from Goucher College. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lynn on July 04, 2017

This is a simple but fascinating memoir about the life of one particular anesthesiologist. The book provides pertinent history, medical knowledge, case studies and musings about the job and it's art. There is much more to the job than I thought. The anesthesiologist must examine the patient, decide......more

Goodreads review by Katie on November 14, 2017

Summary: The sections on history and philosophy of anesthesiology weren't my favorite, but the fascinating, moving patient stories were fantastic. In his career of more thirty years, anesthesiologist Dr. Henry Jay Przybylo has administered anesthesia more than 30,000 times. His patients have included......more

Goodreads review by giftedteacher on May 27, 2019

I highly recommend this book! It tells about medicine yet is written for non-medical people. The author explains what we know and what we have yet to learn about anesthesia, with just the right amount of medical description. I learned about the history of anesthesia and how it made modern surgery po......more

Goodreads review by Rebecca on December 31, 2024

Amazing read that started a little slower (maybe just bc it’s non fiction) but got better and better! Has me considering pediatric anesthesiology as a specialty now…......more

Goodreads review by Crysta on March 29, 2019

I've been under anesthesia twice this week, so it was finally time to read this memoir. Dr. Jay recounts his experience working in one of the least understood (and under the radar) medical specialties. He blends engaging patient stories with history and science, and helped me understand all that goe......more