Get our latest book recommendations, author news, and competitions right to your inbox.
Table of Contents
About The Book
Journey into the world of intensive care medicine and the lives of people who have forever been changed by it.
‘A very special book filled with stories of survival, hope and loss.’
Adam Kay
'[Morgan's] wit and compassion are everywhere evident in this enlightening book, and he makes a welcome contribution to our understanding of these extraordinary times.'
Sunday Times
There is no room for error in the ICU. Full focus is required at all times.
It can be the difference between life and death.
Through the remarkable stories of his patients, Dr. Matt Morgan guides you through the body and its organs. He explains how various critical conditions arise, and all that goes into treating them – from the science, research and technology, to the tireless efforts of the doctors and nurses. This book gives you powerful insights about intensive care, many of which may prevent you, or those close to you, from ending up there. It will even teach you how to save a life.
Movingly and compassionately, Matt writes about the cases and the people that have stayed with him, both the recoveries and the losses. This book shows the fragility of life, but also the incredible resilience of the human body and spirit.
Sometimes darkness can show you the light.
‘A very special book filled with stories of survival, hope and loss.’
Adam Kay
'[Morgan's] wit and compassion are everywhere evident in this enlightening book, and he makes a welcome contribution to our understanding of these extraordinary times.'
Sunday Times
There is no room for error in the ICU. Full focus is required at all times.
It can be the difference between life and death.
Through the remarkable stories of his patients, Dr. Matt Morgan guides you through the body and its organs. He explains how various critical conditions arise, and all that goes into treating them – from the science, research and technology, to the tireless efforts of the doctors and nurses. This book gives you powerful insights about intensive care, many of which may prevent you, or those close to you, from ending up there. It will even teach you how to save a life.
Movingly and compassionately, Matt writes about the cases and the people that have stayed with him, both the recoveries and the losses. This book shows the fragility of life, but also the incredible resilience of the human body and spirit.
Sometimes darkness can show you the light.
About The Author
(c) Jake Morley
Dr Matt Morgan is a British intensive care doctor. His open letter addressed to patients during the 2020 COVID pandemic has been read by over half a million people worldwide and viewed by over two million times after featuring on the Channel 4 news.
His articles have featured in the Guardian, the Telegraph, the Daily Mail, the Sunday Mirror and Huffington Post. A regular writer for the internationally acclaimed British Medical Journal, his article 'A letter from the ICU' is one of their most popular ever opinion article, read by over 130,000 people in 2020.
His first book, Critical, has been translated into four languages. He lives in Australia with his family, enjoys CrossFit, photography, cold beer and even colder ice cream.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (May 30, 2019)
- Length: 320 pages
- ISBN13: 9781471173059
Raves and Reviews
'Matt Morgan is an engaging, honest and perceptive doctor who has managed to pack an awful lot into his career. This book promises to offer a real insight into an area of life and death medicine that many of us will have seen dramatised on television.’
– Dr Michael Mosley, bestselling author of The Fast Diet, The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet and The Clever Guts Diet
'Matt Morgan writes beautifully and movingly about the edges of life. Through vivid encounters and pitch-perfect insights, he shines a light on the human experience at the frontiers of healthcare.'
– Ganesh Suntharalingam, President, Intensive Care Society
‘A very special book filled with stories of survival, hope and loss.'
– Adam Kay, author of the best-selling book This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor
‘I loved it. So carefully written and obviously as a doctor, I could totally get behind the stories of Gram and the origin of ICU, but the patients…just so touching. I love the exploration of what it means to survive, at what cost and so on. A lovely book.’
– Dr Nikki Stamp FRACS, Cardiothoracic and Transplant Surgeon and author of Can You Die of a Broken Heart? A Heart Surgeon's Insight Into What Makes Us Tick
‘A gripping realism of life in intensive care that reminds us how fragile is life. Written with humility and insight this is an intriguing glimpse into a world of life-saving decisions. It is life affirming and hugely reassuring.’
– Professor Dame Sue Black, author of All That Remains: A Life in Death
‘This book is marvellous: buy it, share it, recommend it....We are fortunate to have dedicated, caring and humble folks such as Doc Morgan on the Critical Care front line. We are even better off when a writer can capture all that this exciting, mad, glorious and even exasperating job means. If you work in healthcare, know somebody that does, or simply inhabit a body then this book is for you: in fact it's critical.’
– Peter Brindley MD FRCP Can FRCP Edin FRCP Lond, Professor of Critical Care Medicine, Anesthesiology, Medical Ethics, University of Alberta
'Compassionate and moving… Morgan provides a rich array of stories and characters. Alongside the cases studies, he details the development of the medical practices and technology – from the iron lung to ultrasound – that have helped make such life-saving procedures possible.'
– The Observer
‘An illuminating, compassionate insight into the fascinating world of intensive care.’
– Leah Hazzard, author of Hard Pushed
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Critical eBook 9781471173059
- Author Photo (jpg): Matt Morgan (c) Jake Morley(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
