Publications
APS Bulletin • Volume 13, Number 1, 2003
Resource Reviews
John D. Loeser, MD, Department Editor
Pain: The Fifth Vital Sign
Reviewed by John D. Loeser, MD
Marni Jackson, New York, Crown Publishers, 2002, 366 pages, $23.95 (hard cover), ISBN 0-609-60375-2
This is a breathless exposition of many facets of the world of pain by a writer who tried very hard to get the right information from the right people. Mostly, she succeeded. The book is written for the intelligent layperson, and most of the concepts and issues are presented in a balanced fashion. Featured prominently are Bonica, Livingston, Liebeskind, Melzack, Wall, Mogil, Foley, Saunders, and Basbaum, but many other prominent pain personalities are also introduced.
Content bounces among the author’s personal pain experiences; the wisdom of experts; narratives by selected patients; and poetry, aphorisms, and witticisms penned by literary greats. The author did a significant amount of background reading and interviewing at the Liebeskind Library of the History of Pain at the University of California at Los Angeles. There is a useful bibliography that highlights the author’s sources.
This book is certainly more fun to read than most in its genre. Sometimes it is too windy, but the chapters are short and each is a self-contained piece of the story. A good read, it identifies key issues in contemporary knowledge and the management of pain.
Dr. Loeser is professor of neurological surgery and anesthesiology at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Review content represents the opinion of the reviewer, not APS.
Please direct your suggestions for future Resource Reviews to John D. Loeser, MD, Department Editor, at jdloeser@u.washington.edu