La Clinica : A Doctor's Journey Across Borders

David P. Sklar

In 1972, when the world around him was making little sense, David Sklar left in his senior year of college to volunteer at a community clinic in rural Mexico. With absolutely no medical experience beyond being accepted to medical school at Stanford, Sklar literally learned medicine by practicing it. With duties that ranged from suturing wounds and delivering babies to digging latrines to pulling teeth, his time at the clinic took him into the heart of a medical world that the sterilized walls of the twentieth century would never have shown him. The experience challenged his idealism and, ultimately, molded him into a skilled emergency physician.

Years later, deeply immersed in the stress of running the ER at the University of New Mexico Hospital and facing a divorce, Sklar decided to revisit the Mexican village and clinic that provided inspiration and grounding in the early stages of his career. Weaving together his time in Mexico, his later career, and his marriage, Sklar's memoir offers a thought-provoking meditation on the virtues of idealism in the face of the inevitable failures that haunt all human endeavors.

Visit the authors' website at http://www.dsklarmd.com/

"...fascinating and enlightening..."--Tucson Citizen

"...reading [La Clínica] is like exploring a cave: there's something unexpected and wonderful in every little cranny."--Journal-Advocate, Sterling, CO

"La Clínica is a compelling read: emotional and thought-provoking, well-written and interesting. Sklar tackles many challenging themes with grace and quiet intensity. Ideas about identity, medicine, ethics, passion and hope come together cohesively in this recommendable memoir."--New Mexico Jewish Link

"A moving and inspiring story."--Midwest Book Review

"Sklar is a gifted writer . . . engaging and vivid . . . this poignant and deeply personal story of one man's reconciliation of past and present is a rewarding read."--Albuquerque Journal

"Sklar's insight, excellent writing, and fascinating stories make for time well spent reading his book."--The Exeter Bulletin, Exeter College

"This is a great start for the Literature and Medicine Series."--Taos Horse Fly

David P. Sklar is associate dean of graduate medical education at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, and he served for many years as the chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at UNM Health Sciences Center. This is his first book.

Literature and Medicine

6 x 9 248 pages