Although my heart lies with maternal-child health and oncology, I will read about any and every field of medicine. I’m not picky. If it’s medical, send it my way. Given the popularity of shows like Grey’s Anatomy and House, I doubt I’m the only one. For me, medical books represent some of our most basic ideals: helping others, aiding them through life, helping new life emerge, and guiding others through the end. If it’s a more scientific book, the way our bodies work on a cellular level is like nothing anyone could ever dream of, and I find it endlessly fascinating. (If you’re thinking nothing could be more boring, I’d suggest Ed Yong’s I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life — you might change your mind). While I’d love to go through every single medical specialty and share my favorite books, in the interest of time and space, I’ve only chosen a few areas of medicine and shared some of my favorites in each.
Medical School
Cardiology
Surgery
Oncology
Pediatrics
Palliative Care
If you’re looking for more books about medicine, check out these 50 books to read if you love medicine and this list of books about the history of medicine.
