Pete's Bogus Journey
Evil in the east
I previously related a series of diary entries from an old, unlabelled, leather-bound journal which I discovered last year whilst clearing out the departmental ophthalmic library at my hospital. I had stopped reading it from January 1909 onwards as the...
The ABC tragedies: Part one
“In the midst of tragedy, we start the comedy” – Agatha Christie, The ABC Murders. Throughout a career in medicine, we are often faced with tragedy. One of the coping mechanisms is to use humour to navigate the mini everyday...
High score
Louie: “Allow me to present Pac-Man. Now, who is going to be the lucky pup who gets to play the first game? Iggy! You’re a somewhat compulsive personality. Step forward. Now… you see there’s the maze.” Iggy: “Uh-huh” Louie: “All...
Here comes the fear
“At a cardiac arrest, the first procedure is to take your own pulse” The quote above is the Fat Man’s third law from the book The House of God by Samuel Shem, previously described in the ‘Doctor by the sea’...
Only fools and doctors
“Alright, this is where our future lies Rodney. Second hand motors. This time next year we’ll be millionaires.” The above is the well-known quote by the happy-go-lucky Del Boy from the famous British sitcom, Only Fools and Horses, forever on...
Love will tear us apart again
Sophie: Bye. Love you! Mark: I love you, too. (It’s okay, everyone says it. I say I love Häagen-Dazs and my broadband provider, and I like Sophie more than them. In most respects.) Yes, Valentine’s Day is fast approaching again...
The curse of the college museum
David Greig lecture notebook. Courtesy of Dr Jacqueline Cahif, College Archivist, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. As sure as the inevitability of death and taxes, the hidden stories of past events will intermittently rise to the surface like oil...
A nightmare on Doctor Street: Three
“Everyone at this party isn’t as young, fit and single as they’re making out. Yep, let’s face it, we’re all falling apart piece by piece. Doesn’t matter if you’re single or in a couple: You. Are. Going. To. Die” In...
Part 2: Good news, bad news at the international conference
In the second instalment of this two-part article (click here for Part 1), our editor Peter Cackett presents the ‘good news’ and ‘bad news’ from an international conference experience. Readers will remember that in the last issue I left you...
Part 1: Good news, bad news at the international conference
One of my favourite comic strips from my childhood was Good News, Bad News which ran in Jackpot comic from 1979–1982. In this strip, the story for the main character would be described in a series of alternating ‘Good News’...
Pharma chameleon
One morning in September ’95, about a month into my first house job on the South Coast of England, I emerged from the ridiculously early ward round on the coronary care unit feeling a bit dazed and therefore headed off...
Pete’s day off
“You’re not dying. You just can’t think of anything good to do” The above is the explanation given by high school student Ferris to his friend Cameron, who is lying in bed feeling sorry for himself when he should be...
