Office Upstairs
Charles Banov, M.D.
History Press, Nov 2007, $34.99
ISBN: 9781596293700
Born in Charlotte, South Carolina at a time when Jews were treated with contempt almost as bad as blacks were, Charles Banov was destined to become a doctor due to his mother pushing him in that direction (in a subtle manner) and his own desire to figure out puzzles. As a medical student he was a curious mix of serious student and risk taker. A teacher who taught him how useful a placebo can be is explained in a funny manner but gets the point across.. After doing an internship he had to do military service so he became a Lieutenant and a surgeon in the navy where he acquired a taste of wanderlust. It was a borning two years so he opened up his own practice in the nearest Texas place that never had a doctor. He was known for his compassion and even temperament.
During his career as in intern and he was called upon to make decisions not included in his field of expertise like Ob-Gyn work and cardiac problems. He talks about his travels in other places, in one such place he went he was kidnapped by South American revolutionaries. He was helping patients in crisis during Hurricanes Hugo and Katrina and was involved without his knowledge, in espionage action during the Cold War. Dr. Banov makes no bones how much he loves his wife and their two sons who are doctors and the daughter who has Rhett’s syndrome. He is a Marcus Welby M.D. who cares about his patients and people in general, working through government agencies to get things that need taken care of done Anyone reading this book will want this man as their doctor.
Told in a breezy style, filled with anecdotes, humor and picturesque events, OFFICE UPSTAIRS is a memoir of a doctor filled with fear and uncertainly but somehow always getting the job done.
Harriet Klausner
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