Essay Questions

Why does Selzer assert “Physical Diagnosis greed is not a sin”? - “Textbook”

Selzer argues, “In the matter of Physical Diagnosis greed is not a sin; it is a virtue. There can never be enough hearts and lungs to teach a Doctor his business. Do not rely upon the X-ray machine, the electrocardiograph or the laboratory to tell you what your hands, eyes and ears can find out, lest your senses atrophy from disuse. The machine does not exist that it can take the place of the divining physician.” Physician's greed manifests itself when they opt to reduce their reliance on machines. They focus on physically examine the patients rather than merely depending on machines to complete the examination. The greed is useful in fostering organic communication between the patients and the physicians. Selzer recommends that physicians should not permit machines to displace them completely in the course of diagnosis. Physical examinations are recommended for they rise above machine examinations.

Which type of allusion does Selzer exploit when describing the motivation for his resolution to be a doctor? - “Letter to a Young Surgeon I”

Selzer elucidates, “In the interview prior to one’s acceptance into medical school, one is asked the obligatory question: why do you want to become a doctor?...my answer had to do with Virgil. In the Aeneid, there is an old doctor who arrives at the siege of troy to tend to the wound of Aenes, who has been struck by an arrow. The doctor’s name is Iapyx. Now it happened that when Iapyx was a boy, Apollo fell in love with him, and offered him, as a gift, music, wisdom, prophecy or swift arrow. Iapx chose none of these, and asked for Medicine instead. For he wished only to prolong the life of the father he loved.” Selzer employs a prominent Roman myth by alluding to Virgil’s epic work (the Aeneid). Probably, Selzer read the work before resolving to join medical school. Iapyx and Selzer are comparable in the sense that they were both motivated by their fathers to be doctors. Alluding to gods and their roles in Selzer’s medical life depicts the intersection between religion and medicine.

Why does Selzer discourage doctors from immersing themselves entirely in medicine practice? - "Toenails"

Selzer explains, “There is a danger in becoming too absorbed in Anatomy. At the end of eleven months of dissection, you stand in fair risk of suffering a kind of rapture of the deep wherein you drift, tumbling among the coils of intestine in a state of helpless enchantment. Only a month’s vacation can save you. It is wrongheaded to think of total submersion in the study and practice of Medicine.” Vacations are helpful to medical practitioners for they permit them to rest and take a break from Anatomy. A practitioner who does not take vacation would be prone to burnout and emotional fatigue. Selzer implies that doctors are not superhuman; hence, they could be overwhelmed by their job and the human body.