Prescription: Ice Cream
- Author Alastair McAlpine
- Narrator Grant Ross
- Publisher Pan Macmillan
- Publish Date 22 September 2025
- Run Time 10 hours and 3 minutes
- Format Audio
- Genre Biography: science, technology and medicine, Coping with addiction, Health, illness and addiction: social aspects, Paediatric nursing.
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What to expect
In 2018, Alastair McAlpine, a palliative paediatrician in Cape Town, decided to share some inspiring thoughts from the children in his care. He posted: ‘I asked some of my terminal paediatric palliative care patients what they had enjoyed in life, and what gave it meaning. Kids can be so wise, y’know. Here are some of the responses.’
Their simple yet profound answers went viral, found their way into homes across the world and touched the hearts of millions. Yet it was never McAlpine’s plan to find himself in this position. Challenged from all sides by crippling addiction, a brutal internship and a deadly HIV pandemic, McAlpine’s journey was very nearly derailed.
Prescription: Ice Cream is his engaging memoir about the highs and lows of working as a medical doctor in South Africa and how, with a little help from metal music and ice cream, he was able to struggle on, find meaning in the chaos and inspire others.
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