Beyond the prescription notes: Dr. Rao's heartfelt tales of healing and humour
Launched in April 2025 at the Bangalore International Centre , ‘ Untold Tales from a Family Physician’s Bag ’ has more than fifty-five years of Dr B.C. Rao’s practice into a mix of memoir, medical casebook, and social commentary.
Each chapter opens with a clinical encounter, be it fever, or hypertension, and then moves to diagnosis, ethics, and culture. People and readers have praised Rao’s prose for being brisk and unfussy, and it is like reading a Doctor’s note, but much more elaborated, and with a personal touch into the problems.
As you move through the chapters, you will also see that the author tries to relate the medical issues and their further discussion to the social lives. The costs of treatment, the hush-hush discussion around sex, and the likes.
It is a deeply personal, reflective, and at times a witty collection of stories from his decades of experience, and gives a ground-level perspective into the everyday triumphs, frustrations, and peculiarities of general practice.
The book has been structured as a series of thematic chapters, and moves from humorous patient interactions to more sobering social commentaries.
Dr. Rao’s style is marked by a gentle irony and an old-world charm. Stories like ‘A Sweet Victory’, ‘The Misunderstood Meal Plan’, and ‘The Swoon and After’ mix themes and show the many different patients in all their vulnerability, superstition, denial, and hope. He treats each case, be it hypochondria, misplaced faith in astrology, or penny-pinching absurdities, with compassion, even as he critiques their irrationality.
One of the most compelling aspects of the book is Rao’s ability to critique the broader healthcare system without descending into bitterness. He laments the loss of the personal touch in modern medicine, where commercial chains, diagnostic overload, and algorithmic protocols have replaced relational care. He is particularly scathing about overtesting and fear-driven medical marketing, yet always grounds his arguments in real-life stories, not just opinion.
Plus, the book is not just for doctors. Anyone interested in the quirks of human behaviour, the drama of everyday life, or the quiet heroism of steady, ethical work will find something worth reading in the book.
Each chapter opens with a clinical encounter, be it fever, or hypertension, and then moves to diagnosis, ethics, and culture. People and readers have praised Rao’s prose for being brisk and unfussy, and it is like reading a Doctor’s note, but much more elaborated, and with a personal touch into the problems.
As you move through the chapters, you will also see that the author tries to relate the medical issues and their further discussion to the social lives. The costs of treatment, the hush-hush discussion around sex, and the likes.
It is a deeply personal, reflective, and at times a witty collection of stories from his decades of experience, and gives a ground-level perspective into the everyday triumphs, frustrations, and peculiarities of general practice.
Dr. Rao’s style is marked by a gentle irony and an old-world charm. Stories like ‘A Sweet Victory’, ‘The Misunderstood Meal Plan’, and ‘The Swoon and After’ mix themes and show the many different patients in all their vulnerability, superstition, denial, and hope. He treats each case, be it hypochondria, misplaced faith in astrology, or penny-pinching absurdities, with compassion, even as he critiques their irrationality.
One of the most compelling aspects of the book is Rao’s ability to critique the broader healthcare system without descending into bitterness. He laments the loss of the personal touch in modern medicine, where commercial chains, diagnostic overload, and algorithmic protocols have replaced relational care. He is particularly scathing about overtesting and fear-driven medical marketing, yet always grounds his arguments in real-life stories, not just opinion.
Plus, the book is not just for doctors. Anyone interested in the quirks of human behaviour, the drama of everyday life, or the quiet heroism of steady, ethical work will find something worth reading in the book.
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