In her 1980s cancer poems, Lucille Clifton captures a range of feelings, ranging from confusion to anger to acceptance.
Tag Archives: Medicine
Lucille Clifton’s Cancer Poems
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Alice in Wonderland, cancer, cancer poems, hospitals, Lewis Carroll, Lucille Clifton Comments closed
Green Knight’s Lessons for Doctors
An essay I received on “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” from a pre-med student has me thinking of the poem’s useful lessons for doctors. There are several.
My Cataract Surgery Recalls Oedipus, Lear
Recent cataract surgery had me recalling all those literary passages where sharp objects get poked into people’s eyes. The real drama, however, was renegotiating my professional identity.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged cataract surgery, eyes, King Lear, Oedipus, Sophocles, William Shakespeare Comments closed
Medicine Incomplete without Poetry
Medical journals are increasingly including poetry within their pages.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged George N Braman, medical journals, medical poetry, Narang Sanjeev Comments closed
Into the Depths with Smollett (Don’t Ask)
My upcoming colonoscopy has me thinking about Tobias Smollett’s “Humphry Clinker.”
Medical Schools Should Require Poetry
Poetry should be required in medical schools for its ability to teach empathy.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Morbidity and Mortality Rounds", Doctors, Medical School, Rafael Campo Comments closed
Midwife, No Doc, at Grandson’s Birth
My new grandson had the birth experience denied Tristram Shandy: one where a midwife was in charge.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Birth, Doctors, Enlightenment, Laurence Sterne, midwives, Science, Tristram Shandy Comments closed
A Nurse with a Literary Background
When you are dying, would you want a former English major caring for you? You would want Sarah Tennant Simmons, a former student of mine who is now a hospice care nurse. Sarah dropped by for lunch this past Monday and told me about the work she is currently doing. While we may think of […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Butterfly and the Diving Bell, College, Education, English major, Jean-Dominique Bauby, Liberal arts education, Nurses Comments closed
