Where Science Ends and Wonder Begins in Savannah, Toronto

For the physicians in Dr. Scott Kolbaba's book who pray before performing surgery, the act of prayer is not a rejection of their surgical training but a completion of it. They have mastered the technical skills, reviewed the imaging, planned the approach — and then they pause to acknowledge that the outcome depends on factors beyond their control. This combination of preparation and humility characterizes the finest surgical practice, and Kolbaba documents it with reverence. For surgeons in Savannah, Toronto, Ontario, these accounts validate a practice that many share but few discuss, demonstrating that pre-surgical prayer is not superstition but an expression of the same honest reckoning with uncertainty that defines all good medicine.

Dr. Scott Kolbaba

About the Author

Dr. Scott J. Kolbaba, MD is an internist at Northwestern Medicine in Wheaton, Illinois. He interviewed more than 200 physicians about their most extraordinary experiences.

Book cover

Physicians' Untold Stories

by Scott J. Kolbaba, MD4.5 stars (1018 reviews)

Miraculous experiences doctors are hesitant to share with their patients, or ANYONE!

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A Marine Corps veteran, Mayo Clinic-trained internist, and Chicago Magazine Top Doctor — Dr. Kolbaba brings decades of credibility to these extraordinary accounts.

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Medical Fact

Laughter has been clinically proven to lower cortisol levels and increase natural killer cell activity, supporting the immune system.

Physician Burnout & Wellness Near Savannah, Toronto

Physicians practicing in Savannah, Toronto, Ontario work at the intersection of modern medicine and experiences that resist explanation. In conversations that rarely leave the break room or the on-call suite, doctors in and around Savannah, Toronto have reported encounters with phenomena that their training never prepared them for — from patients who describe verifiable details about events that occurred while they were clinically dead, to deathbed visions shared simultaneously by multiple family members, to recoveries that defy every prognostic model available.

The medical community in Savannah, Toronto includes physicians across every stage of their careers — residents navigating the exhaustion of training, mid-career practitioners balancing clinical demands with family life, and veteran physicians carrying decades of experiences that challenge the boundaries of conventional medicine. Burnout touches all of them differently, but a common thread runs through: the desire to remember why they chose medicine in the first place, and the rare but profound moments that remind them.

Physician Burnout by Specialty

Percentage reporting at least one symptom (Medscape, 2024)

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Medical Fact

The first antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered by accident when Alexander Fleming noticed mold killing bacteria in a petri dish he'd left uncovered.

Ghost Stories and the Supernatural Near Savannah, Toronto, Ontario

Scandinavian immigrant communities near Savannah, Toronto, Ontario brought a concept of the 'fylgja'—a spirit double that accompanies each person through life. Midwest nurses of Norwegian and Swedish descent occasionally report seeing a patient's fylgja standing beside the bed, visible only in peripheral vision. When the fylgja departs before the patient does, the nurses know what's coming—and they're rarely wrong.

The Chicago Fire of 1871 didn't just destroy buildings—it destroyed the medical infrastructure of the entire region, and hospitals near Savannah, Toronto, Ontario that were built in its aftermath carry a fire anxiety that borders on the supernatural. Smoke alarms trigger without cause, fire doors close on their own, and the smell of smoke permeates rooms where no fire exists. The Great Fire's ghosts are still trying to escape.

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Medical Fact

The term "vital signs" — temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure — was coined in the early 20th century.

Near-Death Experiences Reported by Physicians Near Savannah, Toronto

Agricultural near-death experiences near Savannah, Toronto, Ontario—farmers trapped under tractors, caught in grain bins, gored by bulls—produce NDE accounts with a distinctly Midwestern character. The landscape of the NDE mirrors the landscape of the farm: vast fields, open sky, a horizon that goes on forever. Whether this reflects cultural conditioning or some deeper correspondence between the earth and the afterlife remains an open research question.

The Midwest's nursing homes near Savannah, Toronto, Ontario are quiet repositories of NDE accounts from elderly patients who experienced cardiac arrests decades ago. These aged experiencers offer longitudinal data that no prospective study can match: the lasting effects of an NDE over thirty, forty, or fifty years. Their accounts, recorded by attentive nursing staff, are a resource that researchers are only beginning to mine.

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Did You Know?

In many cultures, the physician is considered a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds — a role older than recorded history.

Physician Wellness, Grief & Finding Meaning Near Savannah, Toronto

The Midwest's land-grant university hospitals near Savannah, Toronto, Ontario were built on the democratic principle that advanced medical care should be accessible to farmers' children and factory workers' families, not just the wealthy. This egalitarian ethos persists in the region's medical culture, where the quality of care you receive is not determined by your zip code but by the dedication of physicians who chose to practice where they're needed.

The Midwest's culture of understatement near Savannah, Toronto, Ontario extends to how patients describe their symptoms—'a little discomfort' meaning severe pain, 'not quite right' meaning profoundly ill. Physicians who understand this linguistic modesty learn to multiply the Midwesterner's self-report by a factor of three. Healing begins with accurate assessment, and accurate assessment in the Midwest requires fluency in understatement.

Physician Burnout by Specialty

Percentage reporting at least one symptom (Medscape, 2024)

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Did You Know?

The phenomenon of "medical intuition" — physicians diagnosing illness through gut feeling — has been studied in decision-making research.

Watch Dr. Kolbaba Share These Stories

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Did You Know?

The first ambulance service in the United States was established in 1865 at Cincinnati Commercial Hospital.

Toronto: Where History, Medicine, and the Supernatural Converge

Toronto's haunted history is concentrated in its 19th-century institutions. The Old Don Jail, which saw 34 hangings over its 149-year history, is one of Canada's most famously haunted buildings. Gibraltar Point Lighthouse on the Toronto Islands, built in 1808, is said to be haunted by its first keeper, J.P. Radan Muller, who was murdered by soldiers in 1815—his remains were found nearby decades later. The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, a stacked pair of Edwardian theatres opened in 1913, is reputed to be haunted by multiple spirits. Toronto's ravine system—deep, forested valleys cutting through the city—has long been a source of supernatural tales among both Indigenous peoples and settlers, with reports of strange lights and apparitions dating back centuries.

Toronto's greatest contribution to world medicine is the discovery of insulin. In 1921, Dr. Frederick Banting and medical student Charles Best, working at the University of Toronto, isolated insulin from pancreatic extracts, and their colleague James Collip purified it for clinical use. The first human injection was given at Toronto General Hospital in January 1922, saving the life of 14-year-old Leonard Thompson. Banting and lab director J.J.R. Macleod received the Nobel Prize in 1923. Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) has been a global leader in pediatric medicine, and its research team identified the gene for cystic fibrosis in 1989. The city is also home to Canada's largest medical research community, anchored by the University of Toronto's Faculty of Medicine.

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About the Book

The book covers ghost encounters, near-death experiences, miraculous recoveries, divine intervention, and deathbed visions.

Notable Locations in Toronto

Keg Mansion: This 1867 mansion on Jarvis Street is said to be haunted by the ghost of a maid who hanged herself after the death of her employer, industrialist Hart Massey; diners and staff have reported a ghostly woman in the second-floor ladies' washroom.

Old Don Jail: Opened in 1864 and closed in 2013, this Victorian jail was the site of 34 executions and is reportedly haunted by the ghosts of hanged prisoners, with correction officers having reported disembodied voices and cold spots for decades.

University of Toronto's University College: Built in 1859, this Romanesque building is said to be haunted by the ghost of a stonemason named Ivan Reznikoff, who was murdered by a fellow worker during construction and whose body was found in the walls during renovations.

Toronto General Hospital: Founded in 1819, Toronto General is one of Canada's leading research hospitals and was where Dr. Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin in 1921, one of the most transformative medical breakthroughs of the 20th century.

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids): Founded in 1875, SickKids is one of the world's foremost pediatric health centers and has been the site of numerous medical firsts, including the identification of the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis in 1989.

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About the Book

The book has sold tens of thousands of copies since its initial publication and continues to reach new readers worldwide.

How This Book Can Help You

Retirement communities near Savannah, Toronto, Ontario where this book circulates report that it changes the quality of end-of-life conversations among residents. Instead of avoiding the subject of death—the dominant cultural strategy—residents begin sharing their own extraordinary experiences, comparing notes, and approaching their remaining years with a curiosity that replaces dread. The book opens doors that Midwest politeness had kept firmly closed.

Physicians' Untold Stories book cover — by Dr. Scott J. Kolbaba, MD

Reader Ratings Distribution

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Research Finding

Regular massage therapy reduces anxiety by 37% and depression by 31% according to a meta-analysis of 37 studies.

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Discover the Stories Medicine Never Says Out Loud

Physicians' Untold Stories by Scott J. Kolbaba, MD4.5 stars from 1018 readers.

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Physicians' Untold Stories by Dr. Scott Kolbaba

Amazon Bestseller

The Stories Medicine Never Told You

Over 200 physicians interviewed. 26 true stories of ghost encounters, near-death experiences, and miraculous recoveries that will change the way you think about life, death, and what lies beyond.

By Dr. Scott J. Kolbaba, MD — 4.5★ from 1,018 ratings on Goodreads