Pediatric Anecdotes: an Introduction
Introduction As a pediatrician for thirty-five years, I have always had the urge to write. Urge may not be the right word. Fellow writers know that there is no urge. There is a yearning, an emotional and intellectual Siren’s call, an eager anticipation to express my thoughts and feelings. It is not writing; it is a meditation as I convey the meaning of the path of my days. This is a source of consolation as the long day winds to an end, as I hang up my Quixotic mantel, the peaceful blanket of nightfall surrounding me. As a solo doctor, after early morning hospital rounds in the NBICU, seeing my patients on the pediatric floor and nursery and a busy day in my home-office, I would often see patients until 9 or 10 p.m. As the last patient left, a murmured goodbye as the door gently clicks shut, I would feel the irresistible call from the warm solitary light sitting on my desk, waiting in ...