Physicians From Pennsylvania

"Why is the word for tongue feminine in Greek, Latin, Gaelic, Italian, Spanish, French, and German?"

"Those that think it permissible to tell white lies soon grow color-blind."

"A home-made friend wears longer than one you buy in the market."

"When you are dealing with a child, keep all your wits about you, and sit on the floor."

"Nations die first in the big cities."

"A pint of whiskey can wash away all the blood of Calvary."

"The most dangerous savages live in cities."

"The Devil is not afraid to sit on an altar."

"A hole is nothing at all, but you can break your neck in it."

"Hope is the shadow of faith."

"It was a poor man that said God shows His contempt for wealth by the kind of persons He selects to receive it."

"If you keep your mouth shut you will never put your foot in it."

"Happiness is the harvest of a quiet eye."

"Memory is a crazy woman that hoards colored rags and throws away food."

"The worst misfortune that can happen to an ordinary man is to have an extraordinary father."

"The statesman shears the sheep, the politician skins them."

"The fact that you have been knocked down is interesting, but the length of time you remained down is important."

"The best blood will at some time get into a fool or a mosquito."

"An essential quality of beauty is aloofness."

"Revenge is often like biting a dog because the dog bit you."

"Before you beat a child, be sure you yourself are not the cause of the offense."

"If you keep your eyes so fixed on Heaven that you never look at the Earth, you will stumble into Hell."

"Reason clears and plants the wilderness of the imagination to harvest the wheat of art."

"The smaller the head the bigger the dream."

"Every April God rewrites the book of Genesis."

"After thirty-five a man begins to have thoughts about women; before that age he has feelings."

"In levying taxes and in shearing sheep it is well to stop when you get down to the skin."

"Practical prayer is harder on the soles of your shoes than on the knees of your trousers."

"Show me a genuine case of platonic friendship, and I shall show you two old or homely faces."

"The history of medicine serves several useful functions today, when doctors and the American health care system confront many challenges. Physicians live and work in an era of escalating expectations, eroding autonomy, and decreasing discretionary time. There is so much—far too much—to know, to learn, and to do. Understandably, many doctors are concerned about the future of medicine as they watch so many powerful political, economic, and social forces transform medical practice, research, and education. In this context, the history of medicine provides useful perspective and teaches valuable lessons. Just as a helps us assess the significance of their symptoms and develop a diagnostic and therapeutic strategy, the history of medicine provides important perspective on present and future challenges and opportunities. ... History also teaches humility. I could cite many examples that apply to institutions, organizations, nations, and entire cultures, but I will focus on humility at the level of the individual. The aphorism “fame is fleeting” applies to medicine, as it does to any other area of human endeavor. Almost all of the most influential physicians and medical scientists of earlier generations are now forgotten. ..."

"Why is a book that weaves together histories of heart care, a celebrated medical center, and specialization important? And why should it interest general readers as well as health care professionals, historians, social scientists, and policymakers? First of all, most individuals living in industrial countries have or will develop cardiovascular disease during their lifetimes. And most of them have already seen coronary heart disease alter or end the lives of family members and friends. Despite astonishing developments in diagnosis and treatment in recent decades, cardiovascular disease still kills more Americans than any other cause. Its economic implications are staggering. In the United States alone, medical costs and productivity losses related to cardiovascular disease are approaching $500 billion annually. ... Second, the Mayo Clinic is the world's oldest and largest multispeciality group practice. There is value in understanding why this institution has been a national leader in health care since the early twentieth century. ... Specialization is the book's third major topic. I agree with historian 's assertion that "specialization is the fundamental theme for the organization of medicine in the twentieth century." ..."

"is an impatient industry, especially when Wall Street is involved. Healthcare professionals must be sure that aggressive strategies to cut costs and enhance short-term profits do not harm patients. We face special challenges when new policies are implemented abruptly. For example, a managed care company in Wisconsin gave hospitals less than 2 months’ notice in 1994 that they would routinely authorize just 5 days of hospitalization for patients undergoing CABG despite the fact that fewer than 9% of patients in the state were achieving this target at the time."

"(3 Things to say to a suicidal physician:) ...One. I don't say anything. I listen without judgement....Two. Then I say, "You are not alone." ....Finally, I say, "Call me anytime.""

"Please stop using the word burnout. You are not burned out. You've been abused."

"Don't train us to be more resilient. Train us to be more resistant to abuse."

"If your dream is bigger than your cubicle, leave your cubicle. You can practice medicine your way-- as an employee, a business owner, or an entrepreneur."

"What if Americans were free to dream their highest vision of healing and health care? And what if a physician promised to bring those dreams to life? Imagine what it would look like, sound like, and feel like to enter an ideal clinic designed by the American people."

"Citizenship is the inheritance of the children of those who have taken part in the late revolution; but this is confined exclusively to the children of those who were themselves citizens."

"As a natural right, belongs to none but those who have been born of citizens."

"Citizenship by inheritance belongs to none but the children of those Americans, who, having survived the Declaration of Independence, acquired that adventitious character in their own right, and transmitted it to their offspring."