Like many physician-authors, John Raffensperger M.D. (writing as John Luck, M.D.) was torn between medicine and literature. While pediatric surgery became his vocation, he's equally passionate about writing. "It's as difficult and important to turn thoughts into words as it is to perform a good surgical operation," he says, "and I've made every effort to create readable, interesting literature using my experiences as a surgeon and a sailor as a backdrop."
A 1953 graduate of the University of Illinois Medical School, Dr. Raffensperger interned at Chicago's Cook County Hospital and was a Medical Officer in the U.S. Navy. He went on to become the Chief of Pediatric Surgery and Surgeon in Chief at Children's Memorial Hospital, and is still a Professor of Surgery (emeritus) at Northwestern University.
Having published more than 250 articles, book reviews, textbooks, histories, and ethical essays in the medical/surgical literature, Dr. Raffensperger sharpened his writing skills with courses at the Journal of the American Medical Association, the University of Chicago, and the Writers Loft. He's currently a member of the Chicago Literary Club, the Midwest Authors Society, and the Sanibel, Florida Writers Group.
An avid sailor, (who once crossed the ocean and back in 1998), Dr. Raffensperger has also written short pieces for Ocean Navigator, Grey's Sporting Journal, and the Easter Island Journal.
Prior to writing Diamonds of Death, Dr. Raffensperger published The Old Lady on Harrison Street: The History of the Cook County Hospital (Peter Lange, 1997) and Ward 41, Tales of a County Intern (Discovery Association Press, 2004).
Diamonds of Death is Dr. Raffensperger's first work of fiction. A stickler for historical accuracy, he claims that "the morgue is depicted exactly as it was during the 1950s and 1960s, right down to the smell, dirt, and cigar smoke."
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