The House of God: The Classic Novel of Life and Death in an American Hospital by Samuel Shem Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The House of God: The Classic Novel of Life and Death in an American Hospital
Book Review: Funny, but ...
Summary: 3 Stars
The HOUSE OF GOD was originally published in the 1970's when it was relatively more fashionable to throw eggs at anything that was "establishment". In this darkly humorous novel, the target is the U.S. medical profession - specifically, the training young physicians receive at the beginning of their careers. We follow the education of Dr. Roy Basch during the year of his hospital internship in the HOUSE OF GOD after graduating from the Best Medical School. Almost immediately, he's introduced to the patient population that will be his nemesis - the Gomers (the acronym for Get Out of My Emergency Room). Gomers are geriatric, mentally disoriented, chronically ill, debilitated adults who get no better, yet never manage to die on their own. Dr. Roy can choose as a role model either the Fat Man or Jo, two second-year doctor-trainees ("residents"). The Fat Man's philosophy is to do nothing to treat the Gomers, while Jo will attempt every heroic procedure in the book. Paradoxically, Gomers get better, or at least remain stable, under the former regimen, but get worse and die under the latter. At the other end of the patient scale are those relatively young admissions that die tragically no matter what. After several months of experiencing this and exposure to the incompetence and/or mercenary greed of the private physicians on the hospital staff, Basch is sustained in this psychologically and professionally crushing environment only by the sex he has with Nurse Molly. Then, even that isn't enough, and Roy alienates his friends by becoming withdrawn, sarcastic, and obnoxious. Can our hero, all idealism now lost, be saved before he drops out or commits suicide?
Since the HOUSE OF GOD was authored by a physician, Samuel Shem, I give him the benefit of the doubt that his description of the dehumanizing experience that is a medical internship in a large, urban medical center is at least partly accurate. And, it is humorous, at least until the reader realizes that each one of us is a potential Gomer, at which point the plot becomes less cause for chuckles. God forbid that we should become victims of such medical malpractice as found within these pages.
The greatest failing of this novel in the year 2001 is that it's dated. In this age of AIDS, I would doubt that "terns" are nowadays as promiscuous as depicted. And, since many physicians are now not much more than salaried drones for the HMOs, the egotism of the medical profession as a whole is not quite the balloon to be popped that it once was.
As an alternative to Shem's novel, I would recommend the 1971 cinematic black comedy THE HOSPITAL, starring George C. Scott, since it touches on much the same themes. Scott is at his very best, and the movie can be viewed more quickly than this book can be read. At 420 pages, the latter got a little tiresome.