The Three-Legged Stallion and Other Tales from a Doctor's Notebook: And Other Tales from a Doctor's Notebook

Spinning tales and building suspense in the best whodunnit tradition, cardiologist Kra ( Is Surgery Necessary? ) recounts rare, sometimes bizarre, medical cases and the diagnostic sleuthing required to solve them. He describes the tragicomic dilemma of a village rake nicknamed Stallion, whose raison d'etre vanished with the loss of his potency (restored thanks to the author's detection and treatment of a blocked artery). In a similar vein, Kra recalls how fumes from mercury used by a dentist for fillings were found to be the cause of his insanity, which had flummoxed psychiatrists. The author also narrates his lively adventures as a medical student in Europe, including a romance with a beautiful, dying inmate of a Swiss TB sanatorium. Several tales of Kra's escapes from accidental death conclude this consistently entertaining collection. (May)