This article is about the book The House of God. For religious uses of the term, see Place of worship.

The House of God is a book by Samuel Shem (a pseudonym of the psychiatrist Stephen Bergman), published in 1978. As it provides a very cynical view of medical training and hospital life, it made a substantial impact on public opinion, and has arguably been an instrument in reforming medical training in the 1980s. Samuel Shem is the pen-name of the psychiatrist Stephen J. Bergman (1944-). His main works are The House of God and Mount Misery, both fictional but close-to-real first-hand descriptions of the training of doctors in the United States. ... 1867 edition of the satirical magazine Punch, a British satirical magazine, ground-breaking on popular literature satire. ... Mount Misery may refer to: Mount Misery, in Country Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada. ... A place of worship is a building or other locations where religious persons may worship their deity, regularly or not. ... Samuel Shem is the pen-name of the psychiatrist Stephen J. Bergman (1944-). His main works are The House of God and Mount Misery, both fictional but close-to-real first-hand descriptions of the training of doctors in the United States. ... A pseudonym (Greek pseudo + -onym: false name) is an artificial, fictitious name, also known as an alias, used by an individual as an alternative to a persons true name. ... Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that studies and treats mental and emotional disorders (see mental illness). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Public Opinion is a book on media and democracy by Walter Lippmann. ... The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ...

Storyline

Dr Roy Basch is a new intern in a hospital called the House of God, after completing his medical studies at the BMS ("Best Medical School"). He is poorly prepared for the grueling hours and the sudden responsibilities without much guidance from senior doctors. He survives the year (unlike a colleague, who commits suicide) due to various factors: his girlfriend Berry, various adulterous relationships with nurses (portrayed in great detail), and an enigmatic resident who goes by the name The Fat Man. The latter provides his patrons with wisdom such as the "Laws of the House of God" (which amount to 13 by the end of the book). The book finishes when it turns out that the psychiatry resident, Cohen, has managed to inspire almost the whole year's group of interns to pursue a career in psychiatry. It has been suggested that Medical resident work hours be merged into this article or section. ... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ... Psychiatrist redirects here, for the party game, see Psychiatrist (game) Psychiatry is a medical specialty dealing with the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of mental illness. ...

Laws of the House of God

1. GOMERS DON’T DIE.
2. GOMERS GO TO GROUND.
3. AT A CARDIAC ARREST, THE FIRST PROCEDURE IS TO TAKE YOUR OWN PULSE.
4. THE PATIENT IS THE ONE WITH THE DISEASE.
5. PLACEMENT COMES FIRST.
6. THERE IS NO BODY CAVITY THAT CANNOT BE REACHED WITH A #14 NEEDLE AND A GOOD STRONG ARM.
7. AGE + BUN = LASIX DOSE.
8. THEY CAN ALWAYS HURT YOU MORE.
9. THE ONLY GOOD ADMISSION IS A DEAD ADMISSION.
10. IF YOU DON’T TAKE A TEMPERATURE, YOU CAN’T FIND A FEVER.
11. SHOW ME A MEDICAL STUDENT WHO ONLY TRIPLES MY WORK AND I WILL KISS HIS FEET.
12. IF THE RADIOLOGY RESIDENT AND THE MEDICAL STUDENT BOTH SEE A LESION ON THE CHEST X-RAY, THERE CAN BE NO LESION THERE.
13. THE DELIVERY OF GOOD MEDICAL CARE IS TO DO AS MUCH NOTHING AS POSSIBLE.

Gomer can refer to several things: Gomer, eldest son of Japheth, mentioned in the Old Testament Books of Genesis and Ezekiel; often equated with the Cimmerians (Gimirru), and identified by Flavius Josephus with the Galatians. ... A bun is a sweet or plain small bread or a round roll. ... Furosemide (INN) or frusemide (former BAN) is a loop diuretic used in the treatment of congestive heart failure and edema. ...

Characters

Interns

1. Dr Roy. G. Basch (MVI)- Dr Basch is the main character in this story. A rookie intern at the House of God medical hospital, he has an impressive resume, having been to Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, however he is unprepared for the harsh realities of medical life. He learns fast that all the idealistic notions of saving patients and curing them are not true on the front lines of the hospital. As the story continues he becomes increasingly cynical, before realising that the life of internal medicine is not for him. He chooses to take a year off after his internship year, and then chooses a career in psychiatry.

A résumé (in North American English; also sometimes spelled resumé or resume) or curriculum vitae (in Commonwealth English; sometimes abbreviated to CV) is a document containing a summary or listing of relevant job experience and education, usually for the purpose of securing a new job. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... Superscript text Rhodes House in Oxford, designed by Sir Herbert Baker. ...

Context and impact

The book is very likely autobiographical, with the BMS being Harvard Medical School (commonly called HMS), and The House of God is Beth Israel Hospital now a part of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, one of the HMS-affiliated hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts. Cover of An autobiography, from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write, is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as told to or with). The term dates from the late eighteenth century, but the form is much older. ... Shield of Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is one of the graduate schools of Harvard University. ... Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the three major teaching hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq mi (27,360 km²)  - Width 183 miles (295 km)  - Length 113 miles (182 km)  - % water 13. ...

It is very likely that some details have been exaggerated (such as an orgy in the resuscitation room), but upon its appearance, many American doctors felt that the story resonated with their own experiences during their internship training.

Several of the concepts developed in the book have found their way into the jargon of junior hospital staff:

• To Bounce (verb: a turf that has returned to its first department)
• Gomer (noun: Get Out of My Emergency Room - a patient who is frequently admitted with complicated but uninspiring and incurable conditions)
• LOL in NAD (noun: Little Old Lady in No Apparent Distress - an elderly patient who following a minor fall or illness, would be better served by staying at home with good social support, rather than being admitted into a hospital with all the iatrogenic risks of modern medicine. A joke on 'NAD' abbreviation of 'No Abnormality Detected' used to record the absence of abnormal signs on examination).
• To Turf (verb: to find an excuse to refer a patient to a different department or team)
• Zebra (noun: a very unlikely diagnosis where a more common disease would be more likely to cause a patient's symptoms - from the common admonition that "if you hear hoof beats, it's more likely to be a horse than a zebra")

An iatrogenic (pronounced , IPA) condition is a state of ill health or adverse effect caused by medical treatment, usually due to mistakes made in treatment. ... A medical record folder being pulled from the records A medical record, health record, or medical chart is a systematic documentation of a patients medical history and care [1][2]. The term Medical record is used both for the physical folder for each individual patient and for the body... In medicine, a sign is a feature of disease as detected by the doctor during physical examination of a patient. ... In medicine, the physical examination or clinical examination is the process by which the physician investigates the body of a patient for signs of disease. ... Zebra is a medical term for an obscure and unlikely diagnosis from ordinary symptoms. ...

Criticism

Criticisms leveled immediately against the work are the depersonification of patients, ageism, sexism and the account of euthanasia. The bleak mood was hardly considered representative of the noble art of medicine. Age discrimination is a prejudice against a certain individual or group because of their age. ... The sign of the headquarters of the National Association Opposed To Woman Suffrage Sexism is commonly considered to be discrimination and/or hatred against people based on their sex rather than their individual merits, but can also refer to any and all systemic differentiations based on the sex of the... Euthanasia (from Greek: ευθανασία -ευ, eu, good, θανατος, thanatos, death) is the practice of terminating the life of a person or an animal because they are perceived as living an intolerable life, in a painless or minimally painful way either by lethal injection, drug overdose, or by the withdrawal of life support. ...

Cultural references

In-jokes abound in the work. One of the principal characters is Eat My Dust Eddy, a doctor so-called because of the saying embroidered on his jacket. His name is often abbreviated as EMD, which is also an acronym of the feared medical emergency electromechanical dissociation. An in joke is a joke whose humour is clear only to those people who are in a group that has some prior knowledge (not known by the whole population) that makes the joke humorous. ... A medical emergency is an injury or illness that poses an immediate threat to a persons health or life which requires help from a doctor or hospital. ... Pulseless electrical activity (also known by the older term electromechanical dissociation) is a form of cardiac arrest where the heart still conducts the electrical impulses required to stimulate the heart, but the heart muscle does not contract enough to produce an output. ...

In 1984, a film was made out of the book. 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The NBC series "Scrubs" is loosely based on the book, taking words, terms and philosophies out of the book^{[citation needed]}(Two main examples are in "My Student" in which JD says, "A famous doctor once said 'show me a med-student that only triples my work and i will kiss his feet.'" The other example is in "My Brother, Where art thou?" when JD and Dr. Cox refer to patient "Mr. Pickles" as a gomer). Scrubs is an American situation comedy that premiered on October 2, 2001 on NBC. It was created by Bill Lawrence, who also co-created Spin City. ...

Bibliography

• Samuel Shem. The House of God. 1979. ISBN 0-440-13368-8.
• Samuel Shem. Mount Misery. 1999. ISBN 0-552-99813-3. Sequel of The House of God, (covering the hero's psychiatric residency).

For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

External links

• The Fat Man's Laws of the House of God
• Film review - (gives apparently incorrect date of 1979 though)
• The House of God at the Internet Movie Database
• Rob Reid Hood (October 10 1996). "The House of God - 15th anniversary review" (subscription). New England Journal of Medicine 335 (15): 1165-1166.
• 30th anniversary review by Kit Boyes in the NZMSJ
• Winter R, Birnberg B (2004). "The clan of the cave bear meets The house of God." (PDF). Fam Med 36 (2): 95-7. PMID 14872355.