Publisher’s
write-up:
‘This
is the true story of “Doctor Bob”, who was born in Java from Dutch parents, and
grew up fascinated by nature and science. As a teenager during the Pacific War,
he and his family – and all Dutch nationals – were interned in concentration
camps for over two years by the Japanese, suffering beatings, starvation, and
other physical deprivations. He was not allowed to continue his education,
except for a requirement to learn Japanese, which none of the internees had any
interest in and thus sabotaged. After the war he was able to complete high
school and medical school in Holland and spent the next seven years on a
visitor’s visa in Albany, New York, having been accepted for a surgical
residency.
From
there, Doctor Bob faced a bureaucratic nightmare. With a Dutch passport, blond
hair, and green eyes – and no visa – he was considered Asian under US law, and
the US had no immigration quotas for Asians. Despite a series of immigration
hurdles, which included emigrating to Canada, he was finally able to settle in
the United States, where he became a researcher in cardiovascular embryology
and the pathology of congenital heart disease. As a board-certified pediatric
cardiologist, Doctor Bob witnessed the birth and growth of cardiac surgery in
children’.
Doctor Bob is an autobiography written by
the world-renowned physician Lodewyk H.S. van Mierop. I don’t usually read
autobiographies but this person had an interesting and inspiring story to tell
– a life that has revolved around Japanese concentration camps in the Far East,
college in Europe and fame and career in the US.
The author begins by describing his place
of birth and where he spent his early days – the erstwhile Netherlands East
Indies (present day Indonesia). That was one good thing about this book –
before going deep into a place, the author gave a full introduction about the
place – its history and culture (be it Indonesia or Japan) making it much
easier for the reader to understand and visualise.
Being in India, I’ve read countless
accounts from natives of former colonies but this is the first time, I’m
hearing something from a settler, something that I found really interesting –
giving me a different perspective into the whole thing. Another equally
interesting aspect of is that you get a first-hand account of the World War II
and concentration camps rather than the partially fabricated articles you’ve
from journalists. Moreover, the author too has other interests which he
describes in detail – on collecting butterflies, breeding fish, maintaining
snakes as pets – one can learn a lot about each one of them. I liked the occasional
reference to politics – it reminded of the time the author was talking about.
Then comes the difficulty for a person
whose knowledge on the author’s profession is next to nothing. Till the 330th
page (approximately), it was mostly about the events surrounding his life but
then, it completely shifted focus to his profession. Surely, the author’s inputs
on thoracic surgery or paediatric cardiology would’ve been informative to any
medical students or doctors, I could hardly understand a word of it (something
for which the author could hardly be blamed) and hence, couldn’t notice the
gradual changes in practices and the technological inputs in the medical
profession.
On the whole, I’d say that reading this
book was a good experience – I came to know about a very interesting person,
the author that is and; I’ve a lot more information now than what I had before
I had read the book. This book would be particularly enjoyed by people who are
related to the profession (not excluding others) and if they also happen to be
interested in history, it would be a delightful reading experience.
I wouldn’t rate a book describing real life
incidents but I’ve this to say – it is well presented and the author has
compiled his life events very well.
Have a nice day,
Andy
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