The Physician
As a young boy in medieval England, Rob discovers that he has the strange ability to sense when a person is close to death. Apprenticed to a barber-surgeon at a young age, Rob's fascination with medicine grows as he travels the country, curing and performing. His passion for healing eventually leads him to a famous medical school in Isfahan, Persia (in present-day Iran), where he must disguise himself as a Jew to attend. Filled with historical detail and spanning more than a decade of Rob's life, The Physician is just as much a portrait of eleventh century society. The Physician is part of the Cole Family Trilogy; the next two installments are Shaman and Matters of Choice.
Quote:
“And though you study medicine for a score of lifetimes, there will come to you people whose illnesses are mysteries, for the anguish of which you speak is part and parcel of the profession of healing and must be lived with.”
Author:
Noah Gordon's books include the Cole Family Trilogy, The Last Jew, and The Jerusalem Diamond. He lives near Boston, Massachusetts.
Published: 1986
Length: 695 pages
Set in: England and Iran