Jason Fagone, “What Bullets do to Bodies” (Huffpo Highline, 2017, 7800 words)

This 2017 article by Jason Fagone provides insight into the world of gun trauma in hospitals and the debate over what bullets do to the human body. The layout and pacing of this article especially stuck with me because of its focus on Dr. Amy Goldberg and the Temple Hospital which treats more gunshot wounds than any other state. The life of a trauma surgeon is one that most could not handle: the things that are never shown on doctor TV shows or in movies will always stay hidden behind hospital walls. I’ve noticed there is a misconception in the media that doctors think of themselves as gods who control life and death but Goldberg’s concept of dealing with both God and The Devil on her shoulders is more relatable. I think Fagone does a good job structuring the article from present profile and situation with guns in america to a more profile based section into Goldberg’s life and how gun violence has always been a prominent issue in Philadelphia. The stat that “Eighty percent of people who are shot in Philadelphia survive their injuries” is a haunting fact because that means surgeons are becoming better at saving patients from death but not the actual issue of changing how many people come in with these injuries. This piece was powerfully written and photographed as it vividly portrays the horror of what surgeons deal with at hospitals when gun laws could change the reality of this violence epidemic.