Discussing the book, "The Politics of Medicare," and interviewing the author Theodore Marmor. Associate professor of Center of Health Administration studies at University of Chicago. Mr Marmor has been part of policy planning with the department of welfare, for medicare. He talks about National Healthcare or at the least affordable healthcare for all. He speaks of Medicare not covering all expenses specifically prescription drugs.

In order to write her book, "Nobody Ever Died of Old Age", Sharon R. Curtin went undercover and pretended to be interested in nursing homes in order to visit the facilities. Curtin's book also offers praise for older people and outrage for their loneliness.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

In the of first of many appearances on Studs' radio show, Oliver Sacks discusses his book "Awakenings" and recounts several patient profiles from his groundbreaking treatment application of L-DOPA to sufferers of Sleeping sickness and Parkinson's disease. They explore his work in the context of Studs' concept of Feeling Tone and Sacks tells of a remarkable scene with aphasic patients reacting to a speech of then President Ronald Reagan.

Discussing the book "Cities on a Hill: A Journey Through Contemporary American Cultures" (published by Simon & Schuster) with the author, journalist Frances FitzGerald. Program includes an excerpt of a June 3, 1986 interview with activist and social worker Maggie Kuhn.

Don Gold, writer and editor, discusses his book "Bellevue: A Documentary of a Large Metropolitan Hospital." He recounts his time spent following doctors and nurses in Bellevue in New York City and discusses how healthcare has become depersonalized. The conversation involves patients who are dealing with mental illnesses, abortions, attempted suicide and the terminally ill. The interview includes reading of passages from his book.