Samuel Shem
Encyclopedia
Samuel Shem is the pen-name of the American
psychiatrist
Stephen Joseph Bergman (born 1944). His main works are The House of God
and Mount Misery
, both fictional but close-to-real first-hand descriptions of the training of doctors in the United States
.
Bergman was a Rhodes Scholar
at Balliol College
, Oxford
in 1966, and was tutored by Denis Noble
FRS, cardiac physiologist and later head of the Oxford Cardiac Electrophysiology Group. In an address to Dr. Noble's retirement party Balliol, he related that Denis Noble's response to Bergman's attempt to become a writer was to ply him with copious sherry.
He was an intern at Beth Israel Hospital
(subsequently renamed Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) which inspired the book The House of God
.
Bergman is as of 2005 professor
of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
, division of addictions. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts
with his wife Janet Surrey and a daughter.
Shem's play Bill W. and Dr. Bob
had an Off Broadway run at New World Stage in New York City. It ran for 132 performances and closed on June 10, 2007. The New York Times
called it "An insightful new play."
His works are:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
Stephen Joseph Bergman (born 1944). His main works are The House of God
The House of God
The House of God is a satirical novel by Samuel Shem , published in 1978. It portrays the psychological harm done to medical interns during the course of medical internship in the early 1970s.-Storyline:...
and Mount Misery
Mount Misery
-In the United States:* Mount Misery, a rocky hill in Pachaug State Forest, Connecticut* Mount Misery, a hill in the town of Auburn, New Hampshire* Mount Misery, or Valley Forge Mountain, in Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania...
, both fictional but close-to-real first-hand descriptions of the training of doctors in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Bergman was a Rhodes Scholar
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
at Balliol College
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in 1966, and was tutored by Denis Noble
Denis Noble
Denis Noble CBE FRS FRCP is a British biologist who held the Burdon Sanderson Chair of Cardiovascular Physiology at Oxford University from 1984 to 2004 and was appointed Professor Emeritus and co-Director of Computational Physiology. He is one of the pioneers of Systems Biology and developed the...
FRS, cardiac physiologist and later head of the Oxford Cardiac Electrophysiology Group. In an address to Dr. Noble's retirement party Balliol, he related that Denis Noble's response to Bergman's attempt to become a writer was to ply him with copious sherry.
He was an intern at Beth Israel Hospital
Beth Israel Hospital
Beth Israel Hospital may refer to:*Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston*Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan*Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark...
(subsequently renamed Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) which inspired the book The House of God
The House of God
The House of God is a satirical novel by Samuel Shem , published in 1978. It portrays the psychological harm done to medical interns during the course of medical internship in the early 1970s.-Storyline:...
.
Bergman is as of 2005 professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, division of addictions. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
with his wife Janet Surrey and a daughter.
Shem's play Bill W. and Dr. Bob
Bill W. and Dr. Bob
Bill W. and Dr. Bob is a play that began previews Off Broadway at New World Stages on February 16, 2007 and opened on March 5, 2007. It ran for 132 performances at New World Stages and closed on June 10, 2007. It is based on the story of William Wilson and Dr.Robert Smith Bill W. and Dr. Bob is a...
had an Off Broadway run at New World Stage in New York City. It ran for 132 performances and closed on June 10, 2007. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called it "An insightful new play."
His works are:
- The House of GodThe House of GodThe House of God is a satirical novel by Samuel Shem , published in 1978. It portrays the psychological harm done to medical interns during the course of medical internship in the early 1970s.-Storyline:...
(1978) - Fine (1985)
- Mount Misery (book) (ISBN 0-8041-1555-9)
- Bill W. and Dr. BobBill W. and Dr. BobBill W. and Dr. Bob is a play that began previews Off Broadway at New World Stages on February 16, 2007 and opened on March 5, 2007. It ran for 132 performances at New World Stages and closed on June 10, 2007. It is based on the story of William Wilson and Dr.Robert Smith Bill W. and Dr. Bob is a...
(play on alcoholismAlcoholismAlcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and the founders of Alcoholics AnonymousAlcoholics AnonymousAlcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
- Bill W. and Dr BobBob Smith (doctor)Robert Holbrook Smith was an American physician and surgeon who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous with Bill Wilson, more commonly known as Bill W. He was also known as Dr. Bob. He was born in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, where he was raised, to Susan A. Holbrook and Walter Perrin Smith...
, 1990) - We Have to Talk: Healing Dialogues Between Men and Women (with Janet Surrey, 1999, ISBN 0-465-09114-8)
- The Spirit of the Place (ISBN 978-0-87338-942-6, June 2008)
External links
- Official website
- Bill W. and Dr. Bob. - Shem's off-Broadway show
- The Spirit of the Place - link to publisher's page