Tag: Fall 2011
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A happy individual knows nothing
Basil BrookeWitwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa It seems that most people, most of the time, tend to avoid the really big questions, the hows and whys of existence, preferring to wait and see what happens when they die. They may tell you, and quite rightly, that whilst alive it is best to get on with the…
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Protecting a child’s true essence
Anjali Vidya VarmaNew York, New York, United States I have always felt a particular affection for children. During family gatherings and holiday parties, as the adults sipped wine and discussed the hardships inherent in their work, I would slip away to read a book to the little ones. As the story unfolded I would delight…
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The flutter of an aching heart
Hugh SilkMassachusetts, Worcester, USA “Hi, Kate. Good to see you. How are you?” “I’m nervous, doc, so please tell me everything right away.” Her eyes were focused intensely on mine. It was clear my small talk and pleasantries were unwanted, even before I shut the exam room door. “Let me start by telling you that…
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Ivan
Christopher H. CameronKelso, United Kingdom It was a time in general practice when doctors still visited patients for other than purely medical reasons. Back then, it was easy to forget why or when a particular visit had started or how it had mysteriously evolved into a regular one. “Chronic” was the often vaguely demeaning term…
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Using book clubs in higher education
William PensonUnited Kingdom In higher education, professors are encouraged to blend teaching with a range of approaches. One such approach might be found in the use of book clubs or, as they are sometimes called, literature circles. Book clubs are a relatively recent social phenomenon with a range of groups springing up in libraries, bookshops,…
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Shame
Jeanne BereiterAlbuquerque, New Mexico, United States “I wasn’t trying to kill myself,” Jessica insisted, running a black-tipped, artificial fingernail through her black, gelled hair, which flashed blonde at the roots. “I was drinking, and I miscalculated. I didn’t know this could happen.” Jessica had been admitted to my adolescent psychiatric unit after she fell down…
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A difficult conversation
Ajanta NaiduIrvine, California, United States Fifteen years old, Jane sat in the exam room innocently denying that large doses of insulin were causing her severely low blood sugars. Living with type 1 diabetes, she had been prescribed daily insulin injections, which she herself administered at meals. Though she denied injecting more than the prescribed amount,…
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Miracle
Gordon KauffmanHershey, Pennsylvania, USA Poet’s statement While I was participating in a short-term surgical project to Malawi, a nutritionally depleted, malaria-ridden, young boy from Mozambique was brought to the hospital. His abdomen was distended and his abdominal examination revealed peritonitis. The only familiar face in the hospital was his mother’s. While preparing him for surgery,…
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Them
Jorge LazareffCalifornia, Los Angeles, USA Poet’s statement I adhere to what W.S. Merwin once said, “poetry always begins and ends with listening.” And those represented in this poem are the ones who are rarely heard. Them The more there are, the less you like them.All those rowdy and teary beings that circle your exhausted bodyand…
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Events of the day – The date I will never have
Michael WynnSalem, Oregon, USA My medical writing is informed by my fascination with how humans accept and sometimes deny reality. Events of the dayTomorrow I will tell Mr. Smith,who is compulsively tidy,that he has Parkinson’s disease, and say “epilepsy” to Mr. Alexander,the 27-year-old truckerwho might have to pull over at 28, before I listen to Ms.…