One of my favorite jobs involved working for a surgeon. Removing staples and stitches is as close as Ill get to performing surgery, and I relished the opportunity to witness the rapidity of the bodys healing process. I would watch videos of laparoscopic procedures while eating lunch and enthusiastically examine jarred biopsy specimens before sending them to the lab.

Now that I work in maintenance, my medical involvement is limited to reading. Thankfully, our library offers fascinating books covering everything from historical to modern medicine, psychological to physical cases, conception to post-mortem studies, and serious to (literally and figuratively) gut-busting stories.

Survival of the Sickest, by Dr. Sharon Moalem, offers compelling evidence that the human species might survive longer if we attempt to create a symbiotic relationship with viruses as opposed to eradicating them. Moalem also references studies showing more exposure to sunlight can metabolize harmful cholesterol into beneficial Vitamin D, decreasing heart disease and cancer risks. Based on this information, Im trying to convince my husband that moving to a tropical climate would be beneficial to our health.

Pandoras Lab, by Paul A. Offit, M.D., chronicles major medical and scientific events in history; many of which may not be the pinnacle of achievement and progress as originally believed. The history of eugenics in the United States in the early 1900s and the infamous Buck v. Bell case are discussed alongside the publishing of The Passing of the Great Race by Madison Grant, an appeal for restricting and prohibiting immigration to advance a pure race. Interestingly, Grant was an influential conservationist responsible for the creation of several national parks. Pandoras Lab also covers the rise of the lobotomy. One leading practitioner of the procedure performed a mind-shattering 22 lobotomies in two hours and 15 minutes.

A classic and often humorous book in psychiatry was written by Dr. Oliver Sacks. In case the name rings a Pavlovian bell, Dr. Sacks famously used L-Dopa to treat catatonic patients as portrayed in the movie Awakenings. In his book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Sacks includes dozens of vignettes about astonishing psychological cases involving everything from Tourettes Syndrome to Neurosyphillis to drug-induced amnesia.

If laughter is, indeed, the best medicine, This is Going to Hurt is the new penicillin. Written by Adam Kay and taken directly from the authors diaries during his time with the National Health Service, the stories are side-splittingly funny. If youd like to get into Harvard, Mary Roach offers an unorthodox method in Stiff. No school loans required. Find out how many points just four Brazil nuts consumed in one month can lower your cholesterol in How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger, but remember that more of a good thing doesnt necessarily equate to better. Your life has likely been helped by a woman youve not heard of, but you can discover her story in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

So many books, so much time to read given the current health situation. So, dive into some medical literature. Theyve been quarantined for your safety.

Ashley Holzhausen is a maintenance staff member at the Bartholomew County Public Library and can be reached at aHolzhausen@mybcpl.org

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Operating with a medical curiosity? The library can help - The Republic