Battles of Life and Death: The Discoveries of a Young Doctor during his Medical Education

Originally published in 1986, Battles of Life and Death is a collection of thirteen essays by David Hellerstein, an award-winning doctor-writer. These compelling and intimate tales describe the making of a young doctor amid the peril and promise of today’s medicine. From the searing pain of an injured firefighter on the burn unit, to the bravery of children undergoing kidney transplants, to the death of an elderly woman at a hospital overlooking Manhattan's East River, to the chaos of the psychiatric emergency room, these stories are dramatic, moving and true. First published in Esquire, Ms., and North American Review, they include the award-winning “A Death in the Glitter Palace,” about a young cancer patient, and the often-republished story, “Touching,” about the gynecology clinic.

Richard Selzer, MD, author of Rituals of Surgery and other books, wrote: "Battles of Life and Death is a wonderful book. The excitement, anguish, and joy of attending the sick are fully transmitted."

And Tobias Wolff, in the original Houghton Mifflin edition, wrote: "Battles of Life and Death is a unique, beautifully written account of the making of a doctor."