If I had a tendency towards megalomania, I might think The Medical Science of House, M.D. was written specifically for me. It fills such a peculiar niche, I can't quite imagine the broader audience for it.

House happens to be my favourite show at the moment. It's not, however, even the highest rated medical show on the air; that would be Grey's Anatomy. And the book doesn't explore the world of Hugh Laurie's alter ego in any depth. It's mostly a Dummies Guide to the Health Care Industry, with the show as its jumping off point, so anyone reading specifically for real insight into House might be disappointed.

That said, I really enjoyed it. But I'm a nerd.

Author Andrew Holtz, a health journalist with a Master's of Public Health degree, writes with obvious affection for the show and careful recognition that fiction has no duty to strict reality. For the most part, he refers to the show's cases that, while improbable, are possible.

At times, he gently points out where the cases depart from reality, but always in order to make some broader point. For example, the treatment of House's Vicodin addiction in the "Detox" episode is one clear example of the show deviating from medical reality. The episode's proof of addiction — withdrawal symptoms — are no proof at all, say the real-life doctors. But Holtz doesn't dwell on the bent truth, except to mention the reality the fiction illuminates; he uses the case to bring up the very real problem of impaired physicians.

The author brings expert testimony, through research and interviews, to a discussion that's often quite unrelated to any specifics of House. Holtz's purpose is not to nitpick the show, or to glorify it as an example of medical realism, but to wrap a discussion of the health care industry and medical ethics in a palatable coating. The lengthy, explanatory sidebars — which are, unfortunately, confusingly presented in the middle of the main narrative — usually don't even pretend to be connected to the show.

Still, it's an interesting discussion for those who aren't intimately familiar with the system or all the issues. It's perhaps especially so for us non-Americans who might relish an engaging lesson in the U.S. health care system we think we know so much about, usually from fictional sources.