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Dr Roy Basch is a new intern in a hospital called the House of God, after completing his medical studies at the BMS ("Best Medical School"). He is poorly prepared for the grueling hours and the sudden responsibilities without much guidance from senior doctors. He survives the year (unlike a colleague, who commits suicide) due to various factors: his girlfriend Berry, various adulterous relationships with nurses (portrayed in great detail), and an enigmatic resident who goes by the name The Fat Man. The latter provides his patrons with wisdom such as the "Laws of the House of God" (which amount to 13 by the end of the book). The book finishes when it turns out that the psychiatry resident Cohen has managed to inspire almost the whole year's group of interns to pursue a career in psychiatry.
The book is very likely autobiographical, with the BMS being Harvard Medical School (commonly called HMS), and The House of God is quite likely Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, one of the HMS-affiliated hospitals in Boston, Massachusetts.
It is very likely that some details have been exaggerated (such as an orgy in the resuscitation room), but upon its appearance, many American doctors felt that the story resonated with their own experiences during their internship training.
Several of the concepts developed in the book have found their way into the jargon of junior hospital staff:
Criticisms leveled immediately against the work are the depersonification of patients, ageism, sexism and the account of euthanasiaEuthanasia ( Greek, "good death") is the practice of killing a person or animal, in a painless or minimally painful way, for merciful reasons, usually to end their suffering. This article discusses euthanasia in humans; a separate article covers animal eu. The bleak mood was hardly considered representative of the noble art of medicine.
In 1979Events January-February January 1 Sino-American relations: United States and the People's Republic of China establish diplomatic relations January 4 State of Ohio agrees to pay $675,000 to families of dead and injured in Kent State University shootings., a film was made out of the book.
In-jokes abound in the work. One of the principal characters is Eat My Dust Eddy, a doctor so-called because of the saying embroidered on his jacket. His name is often abbreviated as EMD, which is also an acronym of the feared medical emergencyA medical emergency is an injury or illness that poses an immediate threat to a person's health or life which requires help from a doctor or hospital. The doctor's specialization of emergency medicine includes techniques for effective handling of medical electromechanical dissociation .