The bottlewasher and the ambassador
BMJ 1999; 319 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.319.7225.1650 (Published 18 December 1999) Cite this as: BMJ 1999;319:1650- Sundaram V Ramanan, associate professor of clinical medicine
- University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Hartford, CT 06105, USA
“If he says his hand hurts, put it on his hand; if his head hurts, put it on his head. That's what your father does.”
I had just completed a year of internship and, with all the knowledge and wisdom of a new graduate, I had joined my father in family practice It seemed strange, returning to the old familiar surroundings in a new garb. From the time I was a toddler I had visited my father in his office, looking in admiration at the huge oak desk behind which he sat. In one corner was a pile of copies of the BMJ and the Lancet, some obviously read, others unopened. There was a profusion of pens and pencils with a jar of royal blue Quink—ball point pens had not yet been invented. By his right hand was a heavy ledger which served as medical record, account book, and anything else worth writing about, all rolled into one tome. Just outside his office, and a little beyond what we would now call a treatment room, was the dispensary. This resembled a pharmacy of old, a large glass fronted cabinet with some bottles containing liquids of varying color and viscosity. Other widemouthed bottles contained crystals, large and small. I was intrigued by the curious names on the labels: Aq Menth Pip Conc, Tr Card Co, Sodii Sal, Extr Thyr Sic, to name some. A few large jars contained ointments such as Antiphlogistine, Whitfield's, and Icthyol c. Belladonna.
Private …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £173 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£38 / $45 / €42 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.