Cell 2 Soul: The Humane Health Care Blog

Marginal Notes: Sufficient Depth

As a young man, Samuel Clemens spent two years learning the lay of the Mississippi River to become a licensed riverboat pilot.  No sooner had he completed his apprenticeship than he realized that the topography of the river had changed.  In order to maintain his proficiency, he would have to continue to study the waterway, which remained in a constant state of flux.

Rivers are not the only things that change over the course of time.  Medical knowledge morphs with each new piece of data that is discovered.  Just when we think we’ve got it all figured out, voilà—a piece of information gleaned from the latest research hints that we’re probably off the mark; and so we set off again, chasing a new lead.  >>more

 

Brian T. Maurer has practiced pediatrics as a Physician Assistant for thirty years.  His "Marginal Notes" column appears periodically in the Cell2Soul Blog. The title "Marginal Notes" is taken from a quote by Henry David Thoreau: "I love a broad margin to my life." 

Advice for Returning Students

On Sunday, September 6, 2009, the Times had a helpful column offering advice to returning students.  The authors are seasoned professors with national and international reputations. Perhaps most helpful for incoming college freshman, these brief homolies will be helpful to all students, and, indeed, to those of us who remain students but have left the formal academes years or even decades ago.

College Advice, From  People Who Have Been there Awhile.

Educators give some helpful advice to young adults entering school this fall.

Authors and Topics Addressed:

The Hunt for a Good Teacher
By STANLEY FISH

An Argument Worth Having
By GERALD GRAFF

By HAROLD BLOOM
Get Lost. In Books

By CAROL BERKIN
Once in class, participate.

Play Politics
By GARRY WILLS

A good newspaper; will be your path to the world
By JAMES MacGREGOR BURNS

My Crush on DNA
By NANCY HOPKINS

College is never what one expects.
By STEVEN WEINBERG

Think about life, not just a job.
By MARTHA NUSSBAUM