Tag Archives: Constance Putnam

Lajos Markusovszky: Semmelweis’s best friend

February 1, 2017

Constance Putnam Concord, Massachusetts, United States   Bust of Lajos Markusovszky, in the inner garden of Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest. Photo by Attila Kovács, by kind permission. The name “Ignaz Semmelweis” is at least vaguely familiar to many people, even if they need reminding that he was “the hand-washing guy.” He was the first fully […]

Anticipatory grieving

January 29, 2017

Constance E. Putnam Concord, Massachusetts, United States   Anne Todd Hochberg Chromogenic print 6”x 9” When my father was making his slow decline into the grip of Parkinson’s disease, I found it easy (embarrassingly so, in retrospect) to criticize my mother for what I confidently labeled her unnecessarily grim view of the situation. She always […]

Doctor’s daughter: reflections on a family’s role in a physician’s practice

January 27, 2017

Constance Putnam Concord, Massachusetts, United States   Schoolyard taunts generally convey an obvious message to all who hear them: “Fatso,” “Four Eyes,” “Slowpoke,” “Dumbo.” One directed at me when I was a child, however, baffled me: “You think you’re so smart, just ’cause your dad’s a doctor!” To be sure, my dad was a doctor, […]