DOCTORS DIVERSIFY by Vasudeva Iyer, MD
The famous novelist and playwright Somerset Maugham, who was also a physician, once said,“ I do not know a better training for a writer than to spend some years in the medical profession. The doctor, especially the hospital doctor, sees it [ humanity ] bare.” This notion is further exemplified by the numerous physicians who have become successful and famous writers. Learning about these highly accomplished“ medicus-scriptors” endowed with enviable“ Peritia Scribendi” has the potential to inspire many more physicians to follow in their footsteps.
There are many forms of writing that a physician is privileged to pursue. The most ubiquitous form of medical writing is compilation of scientific papers for publication in medical journals, potentially contributing to the burgeoning medical knowledge base. So many of you partake in this venture as evidenced by the voluminous list in the“ Physicians in Print” in Louisville Medicine. Like many budding physicians, I was also inducted into writing scientific articles by one of
my medical teachers. During my residency training I happened to see a 10-year-old who was brought to the clinic with the history of new onset seizures; apparently, she started experiencing seizures as she walked to her new school in the morning. From a detailed history, it appeared that the seizures were provoked by looking at the“ Kolams”( floor art with geometrical figures placed in the street daily in front of the house door, apparently to usher in prosperity, a common tradition in South India) that adorned the street which led to the school gate. Apparently, only certain figures provoked the seizure; what is now recognized as“ Pattern-sensitive” epilepsy was not well-known at that time. My attending knew about photosensitive epilepsy and figured out this was one example of such a reflex epilepsy. He encouraged me to write a scientific article based on that patient, which certainly was an inspiration for me.
I am sure many of you have had similar experiences. Successfully( continued on page 8) August 2025 7