Cell 2 Soul: The Humane Health Care Blog

Coach: Above and Beyond

Coach and player sat in front of cameras and microphones at a table bedecked with Wake Forest caps — a scene reminiscent of the day last week when football recruits across the nation wore the hats of the colleges they had chosen.

This event was different, distinguished by white-coated surgeons who flanked the athlete — and by the player’s periodic wincing from the fresh, deep incision in his right side.

“I didn’t ask,” said Jordan, a freshman, who was not a transplant match with family members. Coach Tom Walter had volunteered.

In these days of venality and self-interest, we need feel-good stories like this.  Coaches and mentors can inspire us to be better people, bigger souls... Read Full Article.

Marginal Notes: An Amazing Find

“Look what I found at the Salvation Army store!” my wife beams, holding up a crinkled document in her hand.

The yellowed paper had caught her eye when she dropped off our yearly donation of old clothing that afternoon. She purchased it for two dollars.

I take the heavy paper document in my hand and run my fingers along the edge. It measures six by eight inches. The printing is script, all Latin, except for the calligraphied name and signature at the bottom.  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."

Marginal Notes: The Scottish Artist

I met him at table in the basement of the Masonic Lodge after the morning bird walk at White Pond.  How did he, a Scotsman, come to know the writings of Henry David Thoreau?

Through an obscure reference in a treatise penned by Robert Louis Stevenson, he told me.  “It was actually derogatory in nature,” the Scotsman said.  “Stevenson quoted another author as referring to Thoreau as a scoundrel.  It piqued my interest.  So I set out to learn if it were true.” >>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."

"The Right Time:" A Post from Kauai

These days, Larry Zaroff may be spotted cycling along Poipu's peaceful byways in search of inspiration, papayas or the Garlic Shrimp Lady's van. When not wintering on Kauai's South Shore, this retired cardiac surgeon teaches  medical humanities at Stanford where he inspires future physicians and scientists to appreciate the amazing vistas beyond the laboratory. 

In The Right Time, Larry pays tribute to the mentor who inspired and encouraged him in  his path towards enlightenment.  Her teachings inform his Stanford classes.

In her book Between Doctors and Patients: The Changing Balance of Power, Lilian Furst wrote: “The physician is empowered by virtue of knowledge, while the patient is submissive because of need.” Lilian Furst died on September 11, 2009. At the end - not needy, not submissive - Furst in her seventies seized the power of death over life."

Here is Larry's moving tribute to his teacher, Lilian Furst: Download THE RIGHT TIME   

You can contact Larry at LZ Email.