ahaagsma's blog

High volume is obviously good business, but it is probably bad medicine. Can a new way of looking at inequality help us see through the weeds?

I must admit that I’m quite weary of “how to be…” articles. So it was with some trepidation that I began to read the recent BCMJ article by Gordon J.D. Cochrane, “Physicians and their primary relationships: How to be successful in both personal and professional realms.”

Historically, the recognition of Father’s Day preempted Mother’s Day by some 500 years. The Catholic church supported the celebration of fatherhood on St. Joseph’s Day from the early 15th century on. Outside of Catholic traditions, civic recognition was inaugurated only in the early 1910s in Spokane, Washington. It was to honor fathers’ active role in child rearing.

In 1960, in the context of the then fashionable yearly checkup, I referred a 45-year-old woman patient to BC Cancer’s cervical cancer screening program. Dr David Boyes, former head of BC Cancer, and Dr H.K. Fidler had developed the first organized Pap smear program in the world. My patient’s report came back indicating the presence of cancer cells. Given that at the time of the vaginal examination I thought things were fine, I was shocked. My patient went on to have a hysterectomy and lived well for the next 40 years. 

A couple of weeks ago Spookie the robotic cat arrived at our house. Soft of fur, she is a lovely black-and-white cat doll, about 60 cm long and 1.3 kg in weight. Of course, there is a plastic box inside with four batteries and an on/off switch. Switch the cat on and start to stroke her head, back, or tummy; squeeze her paws; or play with her tail, and she will reward you with a series of meows, move her head, blink her eyes, turn on her back, bring her paws to her face, and flip back onto her tummy. And she will purr.