William Carlos Williams’ passion and dedication of medicine can be seen through his literary contributions of short stories and poems. The Doctor Stories use interior monologue in a stream-of-consciousness as a tool to reflect each narrator’s experience and gives insight into the character and his appraisal of each of the situations encountered. It is through this stream-of-consciousness that we come to realize the observational nature of this doctor’s actions and thoughts.
In the story A Night in June, Williams details a feeling of restlessness when a child needs to be delivered without the aid of a nurse or an anesthetist while having limited tools to operate with. His thoughts portray a hope that some patients would be better off to deliver in a hospital. He comments on how it’s a better place with better tools, which it shows the idea that doctors are starting to think about the future of medicine and where it might be headed, from house calls to hospitals and doctors’ offices. He was particularly observant about the time that June 10th at 3:20 am, how he flashed a light over the calendar on his way out and noticed the date in passing.
The Girl With the Pimply Face shows the skills of a masterful observer from the very beginning, with the doctor noticing discrimination through the remark, “But they’re foreigners and you know how they are,” as the druggist explains the call to him. (pg. 42) The narrator shows a lack of judgmental ideals, unlike the druggist who seemed rather dismissive which possibly caused the narrator to reserve all judgments. He does not look upon the fifteen year old girl with the normal suspicion shown but instead shows a high level of respect for her. The narrator goes in to great detail about the phy...
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...ot down because all it is considered is just psychiatry in the eyes of the staff. (pg. 107) This narrator shows that there are reasons behind the actions of the boy, and that a treatment is actually possible, just by observing his past and the events that have led to his stealing. The narrator doesn’t see the boy’s past as irrelevant like the staff does; he sees it as the life of the boy. And because of this singular observation, he gains the respect of his father, who congratulates him and tells him to continue doing what he is doing.
Williams is a superb writer, and uses his skill to portray different situations in which doctors analyze the human conditions through observation. Each story showcases a different viewpoint. Each story is made from the observation of an individual doctor and not of many, so the views expressed are solely dependent on the writer.
The writing style of the author is quite interesting to me. Atul Gawande’s honesty, a major aspect of his writing style, beautifully highlights the good and bad of any medical profession. For example, Gawande’s argument over the use of patients for resident training
Grant successfully managed to treat Mr. G she comes to the realization that a doctor should not judge a patient no matter how they may act, as each patient may have a reason for acting the way they do. Dr. Grant has managed to learn how to combine her own personal experience with her doctoral skills she had learned in medical schools. Dr Grant believes. “ …[A]fter twenty-eight years of schooling, my education continues, both inside and outside the classroom” ( 183). Mr. G was the key figure in changing Dr. Grants judgement. If Mr. G had not shed light onto why he was in the hospital and how he felt stripped of his freedom to Dr. Grant she probably would have just branded him as crazy, she probably would have done the same to similar patients. As Dr. Grant states, “ … I was proud of myself for having accomplished my task… I was proud of myself because I had decided not to prejudge Mr. G” (182). Mr. G exposing his true emotions to Dr. Grant was the reason that she learned that she should not judge unique patients but instead, she should try to communicate with them and better understand so she can better help
This quote centers Henrietta Lacks’ story around the same questions that have driven the Doctoring course: What does it mean to care for others? And how do we ensure that we care for our patients first as people, rather than as a disease? In many ways, Henrietta Lacks’ story is a textbook case in how not to be a good physician. In examining and learning from her story through the lens of Doctoring, we can inform our own practice and
There have been many stories about Dr.Daniel Hale Williams. Today, we will be looking at two stories. Healing A Wounded Heart by William Orem and Daniel Hale Williams and Freedman’s Hospital By K12.
As the story begins, the unnamed doctor is introduced as one who appears to be strictly professional. “Aas often, in such cases, they weren’t telling me more than they had to, it was up to me to tell them; that’s why they were spending three dollars on me.” (par. 3) The doctor leaves the first impression that he is one that keeps his attention about the job and nothing out of the ordinary besides stating his impressions on the mother, father and the patient, Mathilda. Though he does manage to note that Mathilda has a fever. The doctor takes what he considers a “trial shot” and “point of departure” by inquiring what he suspects is a sore throat (par. 6). This point in the story, nothing remains out of the ordinary or questionable about the doctor’s methods, until the story further develops.
Several chapters in Thomas King’s “Medicine River” deal with times in people’s lives when they were in a shadow, or a dark time. In each of these stories, Will uses a similar story from his past to elaborate more on the root concept of the hardship, and draw references to how they were handled in the past. In this way, the reader is given a unique view into Will’s personal memories and is therefore able to better understand his thoughts and actions on these occasions based on the experiences he’s had.
This internal conflict is a result of the mistakes a physician makes, and the ability to move on from it is regarded as almost unreachable. For example, in the essay, “When Doctors Make Mistakes”, Gawande is standing over his patient Louise Williams, viewing her “lips blue, her throat swollen, bloody, and suddenly closed passage” (73). The imagery of the patient’s lifeless body gives a larger meaning to the doctor’s daily preoccupations. Gawande’s use of morbid language helps the reader identify that death is, unfortunately, a facet of a physician’s career. However, Gawande does not leave the reader to ponder of what emotions went through him after witnessing the loss of his patient. He writes, “Perhaps a backup suction device should always be at hand, and better light more easily available. Perhaps the institutions could have trained me better for such crises” (“When Doctors Make Mistakes” 73). The repetition of “perhaps” only epitomizes the inability to move on from making a mistake. However, this repetitive language also demonstrates the ends a doctor will meet to save a patient’s life (73). Therefore, it is not the doctor, but medicine itself that can be seen as the gateway from life to death or vice versa. Although the limitations of medicine can allow for the death of a patient to occur, a doctor will still experience emotional turmoil after losing someone he was trying to
Tennessee Williams was a well renowned playwright, who highlighted his personal experiences in his plays and stories. He had a colorful life and he enjoyed writing about what was considered taboo subjects in the 1940's, 1950's and the 1960's. Williams explored homosexuality, alcoholism, violence, greed and sex.
The movie “The Doctor” is a good example of how communications in the health field work to benefit not only the patient, but the doctor too. In this movie, the main character, also known as Jack McKee, is a heart surgeon. The movie begins by showing how McKee’s attitude towards his patients tends to be inappropriate. Jack jokes about his patients and laughs at their concerns. His home life is also a struggle; his relationships with his wife and son are falling apart. The movie takes a turn when Jack becomes suddenly ill. He begins coughing up blood. He meets with a specialist by the name of Lesley. Tests reveal that Jack has a serious tumor on his vocal cords. He has now become the patient. He begins treatment but the results are not what they expect. Along the way, he befriends a brain tumor patient by the name of June. She will teach Jack how to empathize. He will learn how to feel and communicate not only with his wife and son, but for his patients as well.
In his short story “The Use of Force,” Williams Carlos Williams puts a bad taste in your mouth about how the doctor acts towards the little girl known as Mathilda. He actively grasps her jaw, holds her down, and ends up making her mouth bleed. When people read this story for the first time, they could see the doctor as a cruel person who does not care for the well-being of children, or even that he does not like children and wants to hurt them. However, I believe that the doctor is justified in his actions of force and should be commended for his successful diagnosis.
Furthermore, Sexton also makes a great point in that “doctors should fear arrogance;” which is my favorite part of the poem because I believe that all healthcare workers are overly confident. Whether it be a doctor who may think he/she
William Carlos Williams was born in Rutherford, New Jersey on September 17, 1883. William grew up around different ancestries; His father, William George Williams, was English. His mother, Raquel Helene Hoher, was Puerto Rican (PoemHunter). Williams' parents wanted him to have a very good education and pushed him to become a successful doctor. In order to please his parents, Williams studied hard in school and excelled in math and science. Williams went on to study advanced pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania. While at college, Williams met a life-long friend Erza Pound who encouraged him to write poetry. After graduating from college, William worked as an intern at a hospital in New York until he got a job at a Nursery and Child’s hospital while he continued to write poetry (Poetry Foundation). Williams planned to study in Germany to further his career, but before he left, Williams proposed to Florence Herman, whose sister had already rejected him and married his brother. Florence agreed to marry William when he returned from studying in Germany. As Williams studied in Germany, he often visited with his college friend Erza. Upon his return in 1910 Williams opened his own medical business. Then after three years of being engaged, Williams married to Florence in 1912. They had their fir...
“The Doctor” presented interesting and emotional concepts accurately representing the philosophies and behaviors of many medical professionals. Perhaps its viewing would be beneficial by members of our medical community, and provide a framework to the personalization of patient care.
“I was not aware of how much vital energy had gone into this struggle until the struggle was removed” (A Streetcar Named Desire). Williams struggled as a child which helped him began his writing career. William’s grew up during the Great Depression, the many changes of presidents, and a fire that change work policy everywhere in the United States. A Streetcar Named Desire brought him great success.
A documentary Doctors ' Diaries produced real-life stories of seven first-year medical students from Harvard University. The film shows emotions and mental stress that goes through medical students while becoming a doctor and how it affects them. Medical students choose medicine or pre-med as a career to help save people, but the challenges interns interfere with are their personal life and education. At first, the interns were excited about their future and then over time they became tired and damage in certain ways; Tom Tarter was one of the interns that had to go through their medical education, internship, and family life at 21 years old.