Blood and Thunder: Musings on the Art of Medicine 2004 by University of Oklahoma Coll of Medicine
Book 217: Blood and Thunder: Musings on the Art of Medicine 2004 by the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Medicine
This is the 2004 volume of the arts journal put out by the college of medicine where I went to medical school, which features poetry, prose, and artwork, mostly with a healthcare theme. I was an editor while I was a student there from 2007-2011 and editor-in-chief for the 2010-2011 year. The journal received, selected, and published submissions from healthcare workers, patients, authors, and artists around the world, although just by volume created by word-of-mouth most tended to be more local submissions. The quality varies, but there are definitely jewels. My favorites from each category in this volume are: maybe "The Butterfly" by Susan Hassed in poetry, about the loss of a premie; maybe "Continuity of Care" by John Campbell in art, a cartoon featuring a nurse, a doctor, and an angel watching over a patient's bed; and maybe "Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver" by Merri Biechler in prose, about the trials of familial love and caretaker fatigue. This was a difficult book for me to read. It was the first "medical" book that I had read since I lost my residency position in 2012 and with it most hope of becoming a doctor and having much of a viable future. It also has been a year as of the 17th since my father's death (the day before his birthday) following a surprise diagnosis of pancreatic cancer nine days prior. The stories, poems, and art express a lot of things that I had experienced or am going through, stirring up many painful memories of loss of different kinds. Hopefully it will end up being cathartic rather than just contributing to worsening depression. I think it was an accomplishment for me that I actually finished it and actually finished another medical themed book Five Patients by Michael Crichton and am reading another anthology On Doctoring containing more well known authors and artists to be reviewed on completion (probably in the new year).
This is the 2004 volume of the arts journal put out by the college of medicine where I went to medical school, which features poetry, prose, and artwork, mostly with a healthcare theme. I was an editor while I was a student there from 2007-2011 and editor-in-chief for the 2010-2011 year. The journal received, selected, and published submissions from healthcare workers, patients, authors, and artists around the world, although just by volume created by word-of-mouth most tended to be more local submissions. The quality varies, but there are definitely jewels. My favorites from each category in this volume are: maybe "The Butterfly" by Susan Hassed in poetry, about the loss of a premie; maybe "Continuity of Care" by John Campbell in art, a cartoon featuring a nurse, a doctor, and an angel watching over a patient's bed; and maybe "Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver" by Merri Biechler in prose, about the trials of familial love and caretaker fatigue. This was a difficult book for me to read. It was the first "medical" book that I had read since I lost my residency position in 2012 and with it most hope of becoming a doctor and having much of a viable future. It also has been a year as of the 17th since my father's death (the day before his birthday) following a surprise diagnosis of pancreatic cancer nine days prior. The stories, poems, and art express a lot of things that I had experienced or am going through, stirring up many painful memories of loss of different kinds. Hopefully it will end up being cathartic rather than just contributing to worsening depression. I think it was an accomplishment for me that I actually finished it and actually finished another medical themed book Five Patients by Michael Crichton and am reading another anthology On Doctoring containing more well known authors and artists to be reviewed on completion (probably in the new year).