Cook County ICU: 30 Years of Unforgettable Patients and Odd Cases [Paperback]

An inside look at one of the nation's most famous public hospitals, Cook County, as seen through the eyes of its longtime Director of Intensive Care, Dr. Cory Franklin. 

Filled with stories of strange medical cases and unforgettable patients culled from a thirty-year career in medicine, Cook County ICU offers readers a peek into the inner workings of a hospital. Author Dr. Cory Franklin, who headed the hospital’s intensive care unit from the 1970s through the 1990s, shares his most unique and bizarre experiences, including the deadly Chicago heat wave of 1995, treating some of the first AIDS patients in the country before the disease was diagnosed, the nurse with rare Munchausen syndrome, the first surviving ricin victim, and the famous professor whose Parkinson’s disease hid the effects of the wrong medication. Surprising, darkly humorous, heartwarming, and sometimes tragic, these stories provide a big-picture look at how the practice of medicine has changed over the years, making it an enjoyable read for patients, doctors, and anyone with an interest in medicine.

“Longtime doctor and first-rate observer Cory Franklin writes that, in the emergency room, ‘the day shift was rap music, the evening shift was easy listening, and the overnight shift was jazz.’ Franklin is an overnighter, riffing on practitioners and patients, jamming with equal parts pride and regret about his fascinating and sometimes brutal world.” —Marilyn Johnson, author ofLives in Ruins: Archaeologistsand the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble

“For those who know Cook County Hospital or trained there as I did, this book will rekindle emotions from those times. I can honestly say that this book is a phenomenal, funny yet poignant read. It’s a ‘must read’ for anyone interested in Chicago institutions and legends in medicine.” —George Bakris, MD, FAlY