Michael Joseph snaps up 'mesmerising' memoir from GP

Michael Joseph has landed the "mesmerising" and "electrifying" medical memoir by GP Tom Templeton.

Publishing director Rowland White acquired world rights to 34 Patients from Eleanor Birne at PEW Literary. 34 Patients will be a lead title for Michael Joseph in 2021.

A former reporter for the Observer,  Templeton decided to retrain as a doctor in his late twenties.  "34 Patients draws on that draws on his experience of the broadest possible range of different medical disciplines to tell a story that shines a light on our shared humanity," said the publisher. "Part memoir, part reportage, part love letter to the medical profession and the remarkable people who dedicate their lives to it, 34 Patients is a book that touches us all."

Templeton said: "From the rough sleeper to the aristocrat, the unborn baby to the centenarian, each of these patients left me with a deeper appreciation of humanity. Whether sufferers of life-threatening illness, extreme violence, sexual obsession, bad luck or Munchausen’s syndrome, I met them at a dramatic turning point in their life.  Confronting the fragility and arbitrariness of life should help us celebrate what we have."

White added: "34 Patients had an electrifying effect on everyone who read the material.  Beautifully written, carefully crafted, compassionate and deeply affecting, it’s a mesmerising, timely reminder of why our health service matters so much to us all."