Musing of a Contemporary Pathologist

Category Memoir

Medicine in Literature

  The first known physician was the Egyptian Imhotep, who is thought to have been active in the years close to 2625 BCE. He was the chancellor to King Djoser, high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis and… Continue Reading →

Are We a Fearful People?

                      To be persuasive, we must be believable;  to be believable, we must be credible;  to be credible, we must be truthful.                 … Continue Reading →

Chanteuse: Karen Akers

I first visited Chicago in the late 1980s to attend a meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The AASLD was founded in Chicago in 1950 by Hans Popper—my teacher, then colleague and friend, who… Continue Reading →

On Listening to Mahler’s 2nd Symphony for the First Time, Again

Classical music first became important to me when I was a student at Brooklyn College in the late 1950s, although I heard music, especially opera, which my grandfather loved, from childhood. My piano lessons, of course, included compositions by Bach… Continue Reading →

Heartless hospitals – part 2 (or multiple tirades prompted by a recent David Brooks column)

I have long been a fan of David Brooks, both in the pages of The New York Times and on his weekly PBS’ News Hour commentary every Friday. He is thoughtful and tries to consider alternative viewpoints. For almost 20… Continue Reading →

Thunderbird – a short story

(published in the Spring 2022 issue of the literary magazine El Portal).     Thunderbird Marty lost the first love of his life to the son of the district attorney of Brooklyn. At first the family chauffeur, driving a long,… Continue Reading →

Hooked (on ice cream)

It’s a balmy late-September evening at Mount Vernon. After a particularly busy day for the retired President, crowded with meetings and tasks, including answering President Adams’ letter by providing some suggestions to calm the ongoing squabbles between Jefferson and Hamilton…. Continue Reading →

A 77-year-old short story for our time

                 For a few months, I have been part of a short-story-reading group operating under the aegis of New York City’s 92nd Street Y. Each week we read and then, via Zoom, discuss a short story. A couple of weeks… Continue Reading →

Thoughts on seeing a rabbi’s recent sermon about the recent brutal savagery in Israel

    In July 1969, just months after the Tet offensive in Vietnam, I began military service as a part of the (Colonel Frank) Berry plan. This program allowed young physicians to complete their specialty residency programs uninterrupted and avoid… Continue Reading →

The greatest jazz pianist

    I have always loved listening to jazz pianists.    The first jazz pianist I ever heard was Erroll Garner (1921-1977) when he gave a concert at Brooklyn College in thelate 50s and he has long been a favorite…. Continue Reading →

« Older posts

© 2024 Brooklyn Transplant — Powered by WordPress

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑