Be very afraid

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son,

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch …”

Danger can be obvious, something dark and wicked, easy to perceive and to shun. But, as any heartbroken lover will tell you, when it comes in the guise of something beautiful, something gentle and kind, it is hard to recognise and avoid, and then it is perilous indeed.

Two of my patients died last week. I'd looked after them for years, and they were good people and easy …