The Medical Detectives by Berton Roueché

On October 4, 1961, a boy made a trip to the doctor’s office because his eyes were a little glassy and his heart was beating a little too fast. He was sent home to rest, but soon he was back because his condition had worsened, and his symptoms now included “a ghastlier pallor, a glassier look, a notably faster heart, rapid and irregular breathing, muscle twitches, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.” His doctor was certain that the boy’s symptoms were the result of chemical poisoning or more specifically, organic-phosphate poisoning. The only question was: how was he poisoned? 

The Medical Detectives by Berton Roueché is composed of 25 short-essays, written over four decades, that were originally published in The New Yorker. Each essay details the true story of some strange medical mystery and how it was solved. Sometimes an essay will describe a single case, and other times, what starts off as one case will quickly grow to an outbreak that epidemiologists race to get to the root of. It’s also common for the subjects of the essays (who were real people) to pass away before they are diagnosed or treated, so be aware of this if it is a difficult topic for you.  

This book is obviously all about the medical world of diagnoses and treatments. Occasionally Roueché goes on for a while about some piece of background information (for example, the history of Aspirin). The Medical Detectives is captivating nonetheless. Because the essays were initially published in The New Yorker, they were written for an audience without prior medical knowledge. The author succeeds wonderfully in walking the line between explaining medicine in understandable language and exploring the more complicated topics of obscure illnesses. 

Perhaps the best aspect of this book is the unexpected twists. Much like a fictional mystery, The Medical Detectives has its share of surprising developments and dramatic revelations. In one essay, Roueché reports how a household of four adults and a child fell victim to nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, and a dry mouth, with two of the adults experiencing vivid hallucinations. After some searching, a doctor finally concludes that the illness was caused by a risky tomato experiment. The plot thickens when Roueché reveals that another household had been using the same dangerous tomato growing method for years and were seemingly unaffected. Thoughtfully, Roueché explains this mystery and others to his reader with patience and a little humor. 

The Medical Detectives was not a book I sought out, but I’m glad I picked it up. Although I’m not a medical junkie or anything, I enjoyed reading this book and learning more about medicine and epidemiology. I would encourage anyone who’s interested to read this book or to read another book you wouldn’t normally pick up. 

-Bonnie