Scars & Stains

Sometimes invigorating and buoyant, sometimes raw and confronting, this deeply moving insight into the life of an intensive care doctor will stay with readers long after they have put their copy down. Mark Tan writes with literary eloquence, disarming frankness, but above all with spellbinding humanity.

Dr Anna Greenwood, Professor of Health History, University of Nottingham.

A true gem, for once taken up it's hard to put down. It's not meant for the faint-hearted or those who desire a happy ending, though one can detect an undercurrent of hope throughout... Here's the story behind the story, finely tuned and refreshingly painted.

Dr Andrew Goh, Editor-in-chief, Impact Magazine Asia, Emeritus chairman, World Vision (Singapore) & Halogen Foundation Singapore

The pages contain the flame of human resilience and the warmth of abundant wisdom. This is a book not just for those interested in intensive care or those thinking more deeply about critical illness, dying, and death. It is also for those keen to discover the true cost of survival, and live in light of such knowledge.

Dr Wes Ely, Professor of Medicine & Critical Care, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Well written and readily accessible... it is the human stories that make this book compelling. This book is very timely given the ongoing COVID inquiry in the UK.

Prof Tony Redmond OBE, Professor Emeritus of International Emergency Medicine, University of Manchester.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in getting behind the closed curtains of intensive care.

Dr Steve Taylor, GP and spokesperson for Doctors' Association UK

An honest and insightful book into the unknown world of intensive care. Mark accurately describes the travails and jubilations of a UK resident intensive care doctor on the shop floor. Both joyful and sad at the same time and beautifully written.

Dr Shondipon Laha, Intensive Care Society (UK) President (24-26)