Crichton has an extraordinary capacity to seize upon, then make real and personal, the new and the complex, the intriguing and the frighening. THE NATION In this incisive, detailed survey of five patients, famous thriller author and doctor Michael Crichton explores the dramatic workings of Massachusetts General Hospital, Bostons oldest and most prestigious. This readable account covers not only the history of the hospitals place in society, but also the actual minute-to-minute functions of Mass General, where health professionals wage their daily battle against disease and death. Crichtons insightful look at the changes in medicine and surgery caused by technological strides of recent years makes for amazing reading.