The heart of medicine

WHAT makes a doctor? How does a high school graduate turn into a compassionate, caring professional with skill and wisdom to whom you would entrust your life, or the lives of your family? How do medical schools decide what are the right characteristics, choose the raw recruits, and undertake the conversion from raw material to finished product?  

A maxim for doctors is “To cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always”. Sounds a bit old fashioned, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if all doctors were trained to adhere to this? This rule underscores what patients instinctively know; that the attitude of the doctor is central. While cure is the ideal, it is not always possible.