Our Malady
| Author | Timothy Snyder |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Health care, politics |
| Publisher | Crown (paperback) |
Publication date | September 8, 2020 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (paperback), e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 192 |
| ISBN | 0593238893 |
| Preceded by | The Road to Unfreedom |
Our Malady: Lessons in Liberty from a Hospital Diary is a 2020 book by Timothy Snyder. In it, Snyder explores the problems faced by the medical care in the United States.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Background
[edit]In December 2019, Timothy Snyder fell seriously ill with abdominal pain and was admitted to a hospital in Munich. The diagnosis of appendicitis was missed. Two weeks later, he had an appendectomy in Connecticut and was discharged after 24 hours. Following another medical misdiagnosis in Florida he developed sepsis and was treated 26 days later in New Haven with a liver abscess. While recuperating from this illnes through the coronavirus pandemic he wrote the book about the problems of the for-profit health care system in the USA, and the coronavirus response so far.[6]
Overview
[edit]The Prologue "Solitude and Solidarity" is followed by an Introduction "Our Malady".[7] Lesson 1 is entitled "Healthcare is a human right. Here, Snyder explains the history of health care as a human right after the fall of the Third Reich where it arose in Postwar Europe, but was not codified in the United States.[1]
In Lesson 2 : "Renewal begins with children" he compares childbirth in Austria and the US and posits that "commercialized health care impedes the freedom of families".[1] Lesson 3: "The truth shall set us free" is about how the value of truth is connected to facts and creation of knowledge[2] and how science should drive public policy.[1] Lesson 4: "Doctors should be in charge" makes the case that physicians should to take "greater leadership in national politics".[1]
The Conclusion is entitled: "Our recovery" and argues that the healthcare system shouldworks for people rather than profit.[2] The last chapter is an Epilogue "Rage and Empathy".[7]
Reception
[edit]A detailed and favorable review in The British Journal of General Practice explained the title byline in the "paradox of liberty" consisting of a tension between individual liberty and social solidarity.[2]
The Journal Health Affairs called it an "impassioned meditation on the state of US health care" and reviewed each chapter in detail.[1] It critically observed that he relied on simplification at times, for example in his interpretation of why the US fared worse during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
The Washington Post called it a "loud and lucid" rant from a patient done wrong, but that the book lacked his authority in health care.[6] The Jewish Journal reviewed it more favorably, even calling it a "companion volume" to his prior bestseller On Tyranny.[4] Three reviewers point out the rage expressed in the book.[4][6][3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Liebers, David T. (2021-02-01). "Health And Freedom: Book review of "Our Malady: Lessons In Liberty From A Hospital Diary."". Health Affairs. 40 (2): 364–365. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2020.02432. ISSN 0278-2715. S2CID 234091817.
- ^ a b c d Hausmann, Elke (2023-04-01). "Books: Our Malady. Lessons in Liberty and Solidarity: Experiencing Illness in the Us". British Journal of General Practice. 73 (729): 180. doi:10.3399/bjgp23X732489. ISSN 0960-1643. PMC 10049613. PMID 36997209. S2CID 257856630.
- ^ a b Marsh, Laura (2021-09-15). "Rage Against American Healthcare". Dissent. 68 (3): 187–193. doi:10.1353/dss.2021.0075. ISSN 1946-0910. S2CID 240582115.
- ^ a b c Kirsch, Jonathan (2020-09-11). "Timothy Snyder Ties Freedom to Health in 'Our Malady'". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ^ Snyder, Timothy (3 September 2020). "What Ails America | Timothy Snyder". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ^ a b c d "Review | Arguing for a right to life, liberty, happiness and health care". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
- ^ a b Snyder, Timothy (2020). Our malady: lessons in liberty from a hospital diary. New York: Crown. ISBN 978-0-593-23889-9.
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