JulieLeung.com: a life told in tidepools

pictures and stories from the water’s edge

JulieLeung.com: a life told in tidepools header image 2

Another perspective

February 11th, 2004 · No Comments

on my post Why I didn’t become a doctor from Paula, a physician and poet describing herself as one who holds the title of “world’s longest maternity leave” and “world’s oldest intern.” I enjoyed reading her experiences, the pictures in her phrases and poetry, her feelings at seeing “pink coccobacilli through the microscope lens. “.
In A Fusty Valise she wrote:

The title of the piece piqued my attention instantly: Why I didn’t become a doctor. Ambivalence about practicing medicine is one of my favorite topics, and stories about people who, as Philip Larkin puts it, “…chucked up everything/ and just cleared off” ignite in me a heady mixture of fascination, envy and anxiety.
[…]
I imagine that if she had remained in medicine she would have found a way to preserve her compassion and empathy, and also learned that empathy can (and sometimes must) operate behind a countenance of reserve.

Tags: journal