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July 27–September 7, 2020 22 Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com B ooks stay with us for different reasons. The book that sticks with you most could be a thriller with an outstanding plot line, a romance you just can't forget or a straightforward science book that teaches you new and different things you are glad to know. How to Treat People is a work that I've thought about for weeks, although I'm not sure I can explain exactly why. The author, English nurse writer Molly Case, weaves a web of personal mem- oir, drawing on case notes from her patients and explaining how physiologi- cal systems work for the benefit of the layman, all in calm, confident language that soon had me under her spell. I think that I could easily enjoy spend- ing time with Case. Although some of her British idioms are a bit unfamiliar, her headspace is so reassuring and clear that I wish I could live there. The language she uses is like poetry and so visual that I had to read this small book slowly so I could savor what she was telling me. At one point, Case describes a strong childhood memory of laying her cheek against her dad's to say goodnight. She compares this to "a cheek held close to the lips as a vital part of assessing a per- son's ability to draw breath," explaining how to sense a terminally ill patient's last breaths, she will "come in cheek close and wait for the feel of them." Such serene images of death are far from the violent, instrument-laden ICU scenes we associate with the last moments of life, where we look at mon- itors for our clues instead of at patients. When she describes her turn in sur- gery, it's as the "scrub nurse holding the sterile-gloved hands interlaced and close to her chest as if in prayer, waiting to pass the next piece of equipment." That image struck me because I've worked as a scrub nurse and was usual- ly terrified of the surgeon and his assis- tants barking orders at me, asking for instruments faster than I could find them. My anxiety slowed everyone down. By contrast, Case's operating suite seems almost soothing, a place where healing might easily take place. A Kinder Gentler Healthcare World Case's choice of language is critical to both the feeling and the themes of the book. Even the title, How to Treat People, has a double meaning. Of course, we "treat" our patients; we are ordered to do so by the M.D.s. But, how do we really treat patients? With respect? As people? I don't know much about the English healthcare system, so I'm not sure of their nurse credentialing path or what their training entails, but Case seems particularly suited to her journey. She paints a picture of the possibili- ties of healing, not just nurses over- loaded with patients and struggling with documentation. In the places where she works, the staff seems to enjoy the abil- ity to actively center the patient. Care plans are drawn up after giving each individual patient some thought, not by rote. Is there really such a place? Or is she choosing to focus only on the posi- tive moments? I'd recommend How to Treat People both for the chance to learn about the English system and for the insight it gives into how an unsure young woman became a fine experienced nurse and extended her work beyond herself. It has none of the television melodrama we are used to in popular depictions of healthcare, only a wonderful vision of a profession to be proud of. How to Treat People: A Nurse's Notes by Molly Case (WW Norton and Co., 2019) ______________________________________ Christine Contillo, RN, BSN, PHN, is a public health nurse with more than 40 years of experience, ranging from infants to geriatrics. She enjoys volunteering for medical missions. WN How to Treat People: A Nurse's Notes By Molly Case Eloquent observations from an English nurse POETRY IN MOTION Molly Case describes nursing tasks in an elegant way that focuses not on technique or technology, but on the humanity of the patients. SUMMER BOOK CLUB