An inside look at one of the nation's most famous public hospitals, Cook County, as seen through the eyes of its longtime Director of Intensive Care, Dr. Cory Franklin. Readers will be riveted by stories of strange medical cases and unforgettable patients culled from his 30-year career in medicine that spanned the 1970s through the 1990s, including some major moments in medical history like the AIDS epidemic and the deadly Chicago heatwave of 1995. We follow Dr. Franklin as he unravels a host of strange cases including the nurse with rare Munchausen syndrome, the only surviving ricin victim, and the professor with Alzheimer's hiding the effects of the wrong medication. Each chapter features stories centered on a medical topic like body temperature, medications, detecting poisons, and the art of "taking a history" Readers will come away learning how the practice of medicine has changed over the years, which will be insightful for patients, doctors, and medical students alike.