Dissident Doctor: Catching Babies and Challenging the Medical Status Quo

How often do you hear a doctor saying doctors need to be more accountable, Medicare needs more support and family medicine deserves more respect? Dissident Doctor bristles with refreshingly frank criticisms from inside the health sector, and its author is not just any doctor but a distinguished scientific researcher, veteran medical administrator, Professor Emeritus, recipient of the Order of Canada and lifelong gadfly.

In Dissident Doctor, Michael C. Klein intersperses fascinating tales of individual cases with formative elements of his personal life. As the son of American left-wing activists, he grew up singing folk songs about justice and racial equality; as a young doctor his refusal to serve as a military physician during the Vietnam War prompted his immigration to Canada. His early experience working with midwives in Ethiopia—delivering babies using techniques for natural pain relief and without routine episiotomy—were formative, leading him to question many standard but unjustified procedures in Western maternity care. He made many unconventional decisions as a result of his focus on humane medicine, transitioning from a specialization in pediatrics and newborn care to become a family physician, and embracing midwifery before it was approved in Canada. Klein’s determination in the face of great opposition, the strength of his convictions, and his humility and sense of humour drive this powerful story of a life and career dedicated to his patients and his principles.

“A vividly written, gripping account of a uniquely independent and pioneering career in medicine…”

“This book is an exciting first-person narrative of an exemplar, an iconoclast who persisted, against all odds, and is still telling the tale. It is a story of triumph over adversity, of opening the door when opportunity knocked and of recognition of evidence as the best rhetoric.”

“In this thoughtful memoir Dr. Michael Klein shares both entertaining stories and deep reflections on the patterns and surprises that shaped his journey as a radical physician and citizen. His experiences of medicine on both sides of the Canada–US border and internationally offer a sharp reminder of the importance of universal health care, something we should never take for granted.”

“[This] wonderful memoir reads as a novel, illustrating elements fundamental to family practice—really any medical practice. Dr. Klein chose to follow the path of science and research to investigate the validity of his insights about birth, leading to profound changes in how we practise.”

“Michael Klein’s inspiring memoir shows the great impact that one physician with a commitment to social justice and a must-do attitude can have. So many in North America have benefitted from his path-breaking work as clinician, teacher, researcher and administrator. Childbearing women and newborns especially are indebted to Dr. Klein and his passion for high-quality woman- and family-centred maternity care.”

“More than anything else, this is a testament to putting human health above conventional wisdom, no matter how supposedly expert. Sure I am biased—he’s my father—but I cannot recommend it highly enough.”

"...an informative and insightful look into the politics, roadblocks and successes in our medical system over the past 50 years." ~ Winnipeg Free Press, September 15, 2018

“More than just a book on medicine, it’s a terrific family story...” ~ Charlie Smith, The Georgia Straight, October 18, 2018

Practicing clinicians and family medicine educators alike can find much to appreciate in Dr Klein’s memoir. Dr Klein details a lifelong practice emphasizing continuity, consideration of the family as a whole, and engagement in the community. He shows us that we should see problems clearly and address them directly, but we shouldn’t give up hope that we can effect change. Dr Klein’s significant contributions to medical research and medical literature make him a galvanizing role model for family physicians.... Dr Klein’s story is inspirational.

“Whether you arrive at the book as a patient, student, teacher, colleague, family member, friend, or simply as a reader, you will come away feeling rewarded by the lifetime of work of this Dissident Doctor.”