Sharon Marie Vaz grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where she majored in Molecular and Cell Biology. She is currently a first-year MD/PhD student at the University of Texas Medical Branch – John Sealy School of Medicine and is interested in exploring the intersections between medical humanities, clinical care, and basic science research. An avid writer, she won UC Berkeley’s Lipson Essay Prize for her essay, “Yeats’ ‘Spiritus Mundi’ and its Relevance to 2019” as an undergraduate. She states that one of Sir William Osler’s most captivating reflections “Medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability”1 served as the inspiration for this poem.
From Confidence therein seek Humility
In the realm of medicine, confidence is key
Science begets the answers
Solutions wrought from expertise
Yet we must remember, every diagnosis is uncertain
Each patient unique, no surety determined
Despite our capabilities, humility unburdens
For we are guides, not all-knowing
True wisdom within our limits,
And learning ongoing,
Respecting both the science and the human spirit
From Humility therein seek Confidence (Poem Reversed)
Respecting both the science and the human spirit
And learning ongoing,
True wisdom within our limits,
For we are guides, not all-knowing
Despite our capabilities, humility unburdens
Each patient unique, no surety determined
Yet we must remember, every diagnosis is uncertain
Solutions wrought from expertise
Science begets the answers
In the realm of medicine, confidence is key
When read from top-to-bottom, the poem begins with the notion that medicine surely stands on its own two feet, firmly grounded in both scientific knowledge and the expertise of all who contribute to the field of medicine. However, our confidence in the scientific method and our own capabilities must be tempered with both humility and uncertainty when treating patients. For “the good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.”2 The “great physician” strives to fully understand their patients in their unique circumstances and context. Medicine rarely answers in absolutes and perhaps in acknowledging one’s limitations is where true wisdom lies.
When read in the reverse direction, from bottom-to-top, the poem emphasizes that it is only with humility can science be advanced. As Osler has mused, “The philosophies of one age have become the absurdities of the next, and the foolishness of yesterday has become the wisdom of tomorrow.”3 Scientific advancement requires one to accept the possibility of being wrong and to continually search for other answers. The “great physician” undertakes the commitment to lifelong learning to inspire confidence both in themselves and their patients. For “a man must have faith in himself to be of any use in the world.”4
References
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Bean, Richard B., and William B. Bean. Sir William Osler: Aphorisms from His Bedside Teachings and Writings. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 1961.
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Osler, William. The Principles and Practice of Medicine: Designed for the Use of Practitioners and Students of Medicine. New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1892.
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Osler, William. Aequanimitas with Other Addresses to Medical Students, Nurses and Practitioners of Medicine. Philadelphia: Blakiston, 1904.
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Osler, William. "The Faith That Heals." British Medical Journal 1, no. 2581 (June 18, 1910): 1470–1472. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.1.2581.1470.