Tag: Fall 2011
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Answers to Literary Quiz #1
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre. Charles Dickens: Hard Times. Albert Camus: The Stranger. George Orwell: Animal Farm. Ernest Hemingway: Farewell to Arms. Mark Twain: Life on the Mississippi. Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express. The Bible: Book of Ruth. Henry James: Portrait of a Lady. Leo Tolstoy: Anna Karenina.
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Literary Quiz – #1
FIRST SENTENCES OF GREAT CLASSICS TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE! There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Mother died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can’t be sure. Mr. Jones, of the Manor farm, had locked the hen-houses for the night,…
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Struggles, gratitude, and love
Jeconda HarrisDavid G. ThoelePark Ridge, Illinois, USA Poet’s statement Jeconda Harris, my patient for 17 years, gave me a collection of her poetry and expressed her desire to have it published. Regretfully, this did not happen within her lifetime, but, with her mother Barbara’s consent, her wish has finally come true. “Life’s Struggles” reveals the…
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Plato on free and slave doctors
Athenian: And have you further observed that there are slaves as well as free men among the patients in our communities. The slaves are generally treated by slave doctors, who pay them a hurried visit or wait for them in the dispensaries. A physician of this kind never speaks to his patient individually or lets…
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A song for me
Steve SobelSt. Albans, Vermont, United States Sometimes the obvious is revealed to us as a life-altering revelation that shifts the tectonic plates of our world. Such was the case when I sat in a stuffy, cramped bedroom listening to Taylor Swift singing “Love Story” on the radio. Suddenly I realized this was not just another…
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Hunger
Brian D. MoseleyRochester, Minnesota, United States Lunchtime began like any other. Attempting to ward off the cold with little shivers, most of the second graders huddled under Mrs. Gerhardt’s umbrella. I remained on the outside, inviting the rain to soak my hair, bulky jacket, and baggy jeans. As we neared the cafeteria, I peeled off…
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Heartland down
Stephanie EzellChicago, Illinois, United States Saying that we see emptiness in the eyes of a mentally ill person is a means for the rest of us to be ok, to stand apart. There is nothing there, so we feel better. But if we allow ourselves to soften and be present for a second, we can…
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Jane Austen and the hypochondriacs
George DuneaChicago, Illinois, United States Jane Austen began working on Sanditon in January of 1817, completing only 2,600 words before she died six months later—probably from adrenal failure (Addison’s disease) caused by tuberculosis. The fragment was published in part in 1870, then in its entirety in 1925. Several authors since then have completed the story,…
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From changelings to extraterrestrials: Depictions of autism in popular culture
William AlburyNew England, Armidale, Australia While evolution of the modern concept of autism dates from the middle of the twentieth century, evidence suggests that behaviors which are now considered autistic have occurred in the human species since its prehistoric origins (Spikins). The cause of autism is unknown, and its diagnosis can be controversial, but its…
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Samuel Tissot: Patient compliance in the 18th century
Einar PermanStockholm, Sweden Young physicians are told that the doctor should treat the patient, not the disease. This is sound advice, but knowing the patient is often not easy. Even more challenging is the task of having the patient follow medical advice and comply with instructions. I have treated many well-educated patients and have always…