My friend Dr Paul Jarret keeps his brain (and the brains of his scores
of followers) alive with his daily email transmissions. I receive an
average of four a day. Paul was a surgeon, an aviator, a morbid
anatomist (that means he cut up dead bodies to discover their cause of
death). He has a wonderful memory and a wry and tender way with words.
His brain will celebrate its 95th birthday this sunday.

May you live – and write – to a hundred and twenty.

Earlier today I received this from Paul:

Remembering the sessions I spent as a Medical student in the Surgical
Amphitheater I wonder what the Professor thought we could see from that vantage point? Surely when he was a student he sat up near the ceiling and like us was barely able to identify the incision, much less the viscera. I suspect that today’s Medical Students are shown videos down to the finest detail.

One of my classmates in the Amphitheater recognized one of the nurses down below although capped gowned and masked, by a mole on the back of her neck with which he was familiar. He obviously was not contemplating the origin of the cystic artery after recognizing that mole.

I can only imagine what it is like to be a Medical Student with computers,
modern models and all of the teaching aids available today.

In spite of such advances in teaching doctors, we still get sick an average
of 12 times in our lifetime and get well 11 times.

Medicine will become a Science when patients quit recovering to the surprise of the Physician and stop dying unexpectedly and for no apparent reason.

Between you and me and the American Trial Bar, it ain’t ‘gonna happen!

PBJ