Tag: pulmonologist
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Once a professor…
Anthony PapagiannisThessaloniki, Greece “Good morning, Professor.” The elderly man I address by this title lies in bed, visibly weak and rather exhausted, a clean white sheet drawn up to his neck. He has been in the hospital for several days now, and the forced immobility has added its toll to the medical problems he has…
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Preparing for the unexpected
Anthony PapagiannisThessaloniki, Greece Working in specialist medical practice one is familiar with the spectrum of clinical problems likely to appear in one’s regular professional menu. However, it is common knowledge that unexpected situations do occur: the human body and being is complex and unpredictable, organ systems work interdependently and not in isolation, and we must…
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Blind date
Anthony PapagiannisThessaloniki, Greece “And who has sent you to me?” Working as a private consulting pulmonologist in a healthcare system where referral letters are virtually nonexistent, I always ask new patients to tell me who sent them—a social engagement routine before we get into purely medical matters. It works as an informal survey of the…