Sunday, June 16, 2013

The Plague Within-Lawrence W. Gold, M.D.

The Plague Within


Lawrence W. Gold, M.D.

Grass Valley Publishing, Jun 1 2013, $14.99

ISBN: 9781489534521



At Berkeley’s Brier Hospital, the ER recommends surgery for teacher Rachel Palmer as she suffers from a ruptured diverticulum, but afterward the patient continues to suffer from peritonitis, abscesses and other internal problems. Dr. Jack Byrnes recommends surgery again, which Rachel’s husband Tom and her father Richard Clarke reluctantly agree; but her mom Maxine says they should pursue alternative medicine.



Maxine wins the debate as the family insists on using an experimental antibiotic CT 1356. However, Rachel shows a major allergic reaction to the drug that if allowed to continue will kill her. Maxine goes ballistic when Jack decides to end the injections and perform surgery. Meanwhile new staff member Dr. Harmony Lane takes a short cut treating very ill patients like Rachel and Sandy Greer with early stages experimental PAT0075 over the objection of Jack.



The Plague Within is an exciting medical thriller that has the audience feeling we are at Brier Hospital (see The Sixth Sense for a previous visit). With an underlying message of doing full valid and reliable testing, the fast-paced storyline grips the reader as research shortcuts leave patients dying from the cure.



Harriet Klausner



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