This is a must-read for summer runners, baby-boomers, and anyone who suspects that they or a loved one has been harmed by medical errors in our health care system. Hundreds of thousands of Americans die each year from medical errors, but most mistakes are kept secret from patients. After learning a few basic tools of cardiology, the reader shares a journey of heartbreaking mystery and discovery as a father pieces together the events that led to the death of his 19-year old son, despite extensive evaluation by a “team” of cardiologists. That personal struggle opens into a broad-ranging examination of our profit-driven health care system. The story concludes with an appeal for ten patient’s rights to protect us all before we personally encounter the dangers of our health care system.
About the Author
John T. James earned his Ph.D. degree in pathology from the graduate school at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland in 1981. He has been a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology since 1986, and has been the Chief Toxicologist at his federal agency since 1989. He retired in early 2014 to spend full efforts on improving patient safety. He has written or contributed to more than 100 scientific and technical papers and more than a dozen book chapters. “A Sea of Broken Hearts” is his first book. He lives in Clear Lake, Texas with his wife. Fishing, running, and church mission trips are among the activities he enjoys.