tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21999805.post1964296923538529039..comments2024-03-28T19:56:32.848-05:00Comments on Anecdotal Evidence: 'The Periganglionic Spaces of His Grey Cortex'Patrick Kurphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08436175583386298032noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21999805.post-77224613497422652632023-03-21T13:52:37.038-05:002023-03-21T13:52:37.038-05:00Patrick,
Your second paragraph has an extra '...Patrick,<br /><br />Your second paragraph has an extra 'l' in it. (Probably that damned spellcheck.)<br /><br />Cushing and Osler still loom large in medicine.slr in txhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13717070068146883590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21999805.post-12759759427624804462023-03-20T17:24:00.104-05:002023-03-20T17:24:00.104-05:00Through my work, I've gotten to know hundreds ...Through my work, I've gotten to know hundreds of doctors. They included two of the world's leading heart surgeons, both close to the same age. One of them said that he'd never read a novel in his life (he was dyslexic), the other told me, a propos P.G. Wodehouse, "I think I've read everything he wrote - certainly all of Jeeves and Bertie. Maybe twice."<br /><br />There was one renowned old surgeon who was vociferous atheist, yet quoted the Bible almost as often as a preacher. When I asked him why he was so familiar with scripture, he said, "I believe you should know your enemy". (He would quote Shakespeare and country western songs as well.)<br /><br />Many of the more literate docs held "Death of Ivan Ilyich" in a kind of reverent awe. Ohio's Hiram College used to have a department of Literature and Medicine. And every so often book groups of a more or less serious nature spring up among health cafe professionals.<br /><br />I once attended a medical lecture by the surgeon and short story writer Dr. Richard Seltzer (whom I was thrilled to meet, being a fan of his work). During the lecture, a man in the audience passed out and fell from his seat. Nobody in this room full of doctors paid any attention. Seltzer stopped his talk and asked, "Isn't anybody going to help this man? By God, I will ..." and came down from the podium to minister to the fallen figure.<br /><br />Medicine was a more humanistic profession in the days of Osler and Cushing (who is buried in Cleveland's Lakeview Cemetery). There were fewer professional journals to follow, and a knowledge of literature was thought to deepen a doctor's knowledge of human nature, and so enhance the ability to diagnose and treat. <br /><br />Of course, doctors did as much harm as good in those days, and it might have been some comfort to a doctor to take a broad and liberal view of the human condition. As medicine has gotten more scientific, the humanities have diminished in importance outside of the occasional cross-disciplinary seminar. Medicine has become "healthcare" and the rage now is for "empathy" rather than understanding.Fazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01396363799545495907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21999805.post-6517456964188726792023-03-20T01:40:45.152-05:002023-03-20T01:40:45.152-05:00Osler, as you know, is considered the father of mo...Osler, as you know, is considered the father of modern surgery. A local library around here has Cushing's 2-volume biography of the great man. I should consider reading it. Terrific first paragraph after the quote, by the way.<br /><br />Speaking of biographies, I resisted and resisted, and then gave in and bought the 2-volume biography of Thomas Henry Huxley, written by his son and published in 1901, at one of my favorite used bookshop haunts.Richard Zuelchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00734593620854179011noreply@blogger.com