Sixty years ago, W. Eugene Smith, eulogized the old-style doctor in his iconic photo-essay of Ernest Ceriani, the family doctor of Kremmeling, Colorado. Today's caring physician is likely to be a retired old-school physician with skills honed by years of diligent practice.
Susan Kaplan shares with us a harrowing medical (mis)adventure. Reading it will be enlightening and may
well help you, a patient, friend or famiiy member lost in the country of illness. Her story is a tribute to the intuition of a
caring physician who listened when others were rushed and formulaic.
"As I pulled into our driveway that summer evening at the conclusion of my bike ride home from work, I felt a sudden stabbing pain in my right chest. Climbing the stairs to my second floor bedroom, I began to feel light-headed. I was breathing in and out rapidly but the air didn't seem to stay in my lungs and I began to panic that I might be having a heart attack..." So begins
Full "Good Old-fashioned Medicine:" Download OldFashMed
Sue Kaplan may be reached at: sue.kaplan@post.harvard.edu