Abraham Verghese is a personal hero for his thoughtful passion about medicine, his dedication to teaching and for his amazing ability as an author. If you haven’t read his books, I recommend them all. His novel Cutting for Stone is a truly remarkable work that, while telling a fabulous story, captures the wonderful moments (and trials) of being a physician.. Anyone will appreciate this novel; physicans will be enthralled.
Photo from a great NY Times article about Dr. Verghese
Dr. Verghese recently gave a TED talk about the physical exam that I believe everyone in medicine should see – especially medical students. From Sherlock Holmes, to the discovery of percussion, to how touching the patient is a ritual of healing … this is a remarkable lecture. Take the time to watch it. It will make you remember why what we do is such a blessing.
Hi Dr. Brandt,
I had just written a post about the exact same video and person. One thing to add, I think everyone should also take a read of Dr. Verghese’s article titled “Patient as Icon, Icon as Patient”
medicine.stanford.edu/education/includes/articles/Verghese.pdf
Awesome thoughts indeed