Tuesday, January 13, 2004

a poetic take on medicine

i am not a poetic person, regardless of what some people may say. my poetry is mostly made up of everyday words that describe events rather than feelings, scenery and whatnot.

i also view the medical profession as a rather wooden thing. routine, mundane and very emotionally draining. in other words, i don't see it as something that can bring me much joy, but more of a comforting rut to slip into and live out the days of my life in peace.

this all changed the moment i started reading the book.

first of all, let me tell you how i choose new books to read. the cover is very important. i know there's that "don't judge a book by its cover" thing, but let's face it. the cover is the first thing that grabs your attention. it is only after it arouses some interest in you that you actually pick up the book and read the synopsis at the back.

anyway, first i look at the cover. then, the synopsis. however, i am not one to be fooled by those little paragraphs that "sum" up the story and then end with a question like, "what is susie going to do?" in the hopes that the mini cliffhanger would compell you to explore the book further.

i usually close my eyes, flip the book open at a random page and start reading. if i continue reading till the end of the chapter/story/whatever, the work of literature has passed its test and i will borrow it/buy it/continue reading it for free at the bookshop.

back to the book.

its cover was nothing spectacular. it was brown, with hardly intelligible (word usage?) lettering on it. in fact, i would have passed it over if not for the title. "letters to a young doctor".

first thought: cheesy. some copycat of that more famous book, "letters to a young poet". probably full of letters from a surgeon father to his son. can't be a daughter. no one thinks of fathers passing on the professional legacy to a girl. oh, no indeed.

the synopsis was none the more useful. full of praise, obviously - who puts criticisms on a cover of a book? - and not providing much insight into the real contents of the book. still, i found myself flipping to a page and started reading.

the tale of a family asking the doctor to administer a larger dose of morphine to a suffering old man greeted me. he is in pain, they said. give him more morphine, end his agony. kill him. he is ready to go. the description of the doctor's thoughts totally gripped me. suddenly i was that young doctor, fighting a battle between mercy and professionalism. ethics and feelings. self and work.

i finished the story and checked the book out of the library.

my description of this book hardly does it justice. for once a book actually aroused feelings about the medical profession that i had never felt before. is it really possible that what i thought to be a lifeless career can be so colourful? can i really find this kind of satisfaction from my future profession?

for those interested, the book is, as mentioned, titled "letters to a young doctor" by richard selzer. he is/was a surgeon who was, indeed, inspired by "letters to a young poet". i recommend it highly to those who share my preconceptions about the medical profession.

lishun at 11:00 AM

|