AFTER THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH

About the Book

Not since Victor Heiser published in1936 “An American Doctor’s Odyssey,” an account of his life as a horse-and-buggy doctor, has the story of a medical career—this time shared by physician spouses—been so well told as in this volume by the Drs. Dunmores. The reader is taken on a journey more exciting than a detective tale as the doctors make their rounds in their office, in the hospital, and not in-frequently in patient’s homes. A house call, which many people now consider an unproductive relic of the past, may yield as many clues to the root causes of illness as elaborate testing procedures. Adopting the tactics of, say Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple might be the only way to restore a severely depressed patient to robust health. The Dunsmores worked to forge useful links between academic medicine, with which they kept regularly in close touch, and the practical aspects of supplying the best possible health care to the public. In their encounter with patients, other doctors and co-workers, the patient is always the focus of attention at first hand, not through intermediaries, as so often the case today when practices are managed by business men and the insurers.

About the Author

Richard and Lillian Dunsmore practiced Internal Medicine/Cardiology for 32 years in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. They are authors of 32 medical articles, presented scientific exhibits and lectured throughout the United States and abroad. Their work on radiation-induced coronary artery disease received international recognition and was published in the YearBook of Cardiology. Richard pioneered stress testing to diagnose cardiac disease and adopted an exercise program for heart patients. Both are members of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Lillian has received awards for children's stories. She was past president of the Chester County Branch of the National League of American Pen Women. She has also been included in Who's Who in American Women and Who's Who in the East. The Dunsmores are co-directors of Families For Freedom, a non-profit organization devoted to reuniting families with their children that have been illegally seized by the Child Protective Service. These spurious actions led to the writing of THE SHREDDING OF FAMILIES, an indictment of the very agency that was designed to protect children.