Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 25, 1993 TAG: 9304230456
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: F-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Reviewed by SIDNEY BARRITT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This newspaper has already invested space in providing a review of this book. Cody Lowe told the story of its genesis and publication, complete with pictures of the authors, in a fine article in the March 2 Extra section. Now, as a physician/reviewer whose own medical work is not primarily with cancer patients, let me add a hearty "Amen" to Lowe's article.
The roots of the word we use to name conventional healers in this society tell us something of what we also expect of them. "Doctor" is derived from the Latin root "docere" which translates "to teach." This is precisely what Drs. Fintel and McDermott have done. There is a biology lesson about how cancer comes about and a theology lesson about how Christian believers have faced the problem of evil.
The first part, the biology lesson, is fairly standard stuff and can be found in a number of popular, easily accessible articles and books. What sets this work apart is the theology lesson. But, fear not! This is not a dry academic text nor an exhortation of how the Testaments Old and New should speak to an illness inherent in the human condition.
Rather, the authors set about their task by posing some of the fundamental questions that face cancer sufferers: How can I reconcile this evil of cancer with the idea of a good and nurturing God?; how can I cope?; is it possible to be healed?; what source and form might this healing take?
Then, having posed the questions, they offer some answers but do not bind the reader to a narrow path. Using sacred Scripture, early and recent Christian writers (Augustine, C.S. Lewis, Francis McNutt), and stories from contemporary America, different approaches appear. The reader/patient might find this one or that one suitable to her/his grounding in faith. That is the core of the book.
There is a very practical chapter at the end with suggestions for organizing one's life in this setting. There is a list of addresses and phone numbers of reliable sources for cancer help. There is even a glossary to explain over again some of the less familiar medical terms from the biology section.
This book needed to be written.
While it is directed at cancer patients, the section on suffering and hope applies to anyone with a chronic or fatal illness (HIV infection, of course, comes to mind). Fintel and McDermott have given the community a great gift over and above the daily giving they already provide. While their insight will serve many, others in the community follow different religious traditions and so sequels or books-in-parallel grounded in those traditions would serve in place of this.
Finally, I wondered about the book's accessibility, not in terms of its price - for I assume that churches, clinics, the American Cancer Society and generous individuals will all provide the needed copies - but many of my own patients read at a rudimentary level. With the expertise of a librarian, I had passages of the book subjected to a computer program that determines the reading level necessary for comprehension.
"A Medical and Spiritual Guide to Living With Cancer" requires a 10th-grade reading level.
Sidney Barritt is a Roanoke physician.
by CNB