A celebrated humanitarian doctor's unique perspective on sickness, health and what it is to be alive.In this deeply personal book, humanitarian doctor and activist James Maskalyk, author of the highly acclaimedSix Months in Sudan, draws upon his experience treating patients in the world's emergency rooms. From Toronto to Addis Ababa, Cambodia to Bolivia, he discovers that although the cultures, resources and medical challenges of each hospital may differ, they are linked indelibly by the ground floor: the location of their emergency rooms. Here, on the ground floor, is where Dr. Maskalyk witnesses the story of -human aliveness---our mourning and laughter, tragedies and hopes, the frailty of being and the resilience of the human spirit. And it's here too that he is swept into the story, confronting his fears and doubts and questioning what it is to be a doctor.

Masterfully written and artfully structured,Life on the Ground Flooris more than just an emergency doctor's memoir or travelogue--it's a meditation on health, sickness and the wonder of human life.

一位著名的人道主义医生对疾病、健康和活着的意义的独特看法。在这本深入人心的书中，人道主义医生和活动家詹姆斯-马斯克（James Maskalyk）--备受赞誉的《苏丹六个月》（Six Months in Sudan）一书的作者，汲取了他在世界急救室治疗病人的经验。从多伦多到亚的斯亚贝巴，从柬埔寨到玻利维亚，他发现，尽管每家医院的文化、资源和医疗挑战可能不同，但它们却因底层而不可分割地联系在一起：急诊室的位置。在这里，在底层，马斯卡利克医生见证了人类的生命力--我们的哀伤和欢笑、悲剧和希望、存在的脆弱性和人类精神的复原力的故事。也正是在这里，他被卷进了这个故事，面对他的恐惧和疑虑，质疑作为一名医生的意义。

底层生活》写得很好，结构也很艺术，它不仅仅是一本急诊医生的回忆录或游记，它是对健康、疾病和人类生命的奇迹的沉思。