The Healing Powers of Medicine and Music by Dr . Michael L . Middleton
My muses in medicine When I was growing up , my Grandma played a big role in my decision to pursue medicine . She used to travel from San Antonio to Scott & White in Temple to see her doctor . That really put a seed in my brain about how important medicine is , because Grandma ’ s doctor was important to her . So I ’ ve always known the Scott & White name .
I went to college at Southwestern University in Georgetown , and I recall a professor talking about the care he received at Scott & White . So there was that name again ! At that time , Scott & White was forming a partnership with Texas A & M University , a great upand-coming medical school . At that point I knew I wanted to be in medicine , but I didn ’ t know yet what area to specialize in .
In medical school at the Texas A & M Health Science Center College of Medicine , I began to focus on imaging as a specialty .
I was impressed with the work in nuclear medicine with Dr . Charlie Petty at the Veterans Administration Hospital , who was also on staff at Scott & White . I liked the way he practiced ; it was intriguing to me . I admired the way he ’ d talk to patients and I thought , this is going to be a good fit for me . I also was impressed with Dr . Bill Carpentier and Dr . John Montgomery , the chair of Radiology at the time . So I picked nuclear medicine because I liked working with radioisotopes and I could have more contact with patients . And that ’ s what I decided to do .
So I packed up and moved to New York to attend the Albert Einstein College of Medicine for the residency program in nuclear medicine .
My wife , Dr . Darla Lowe ( now an internist at Scott & White ), was chief resident at Albert Einstein College of Medicine , so we stayed there for a year after residency and I focused on research . We soon realized that our hearts were really in Texas , so we started looking for jobs there . I was recruited back to Scott & White in Texas .
The magic of music Music is my passion . I started playing the accordion at age eight . Music relaxes me and it makes me use a different part of my brain . I was never a good athlete in high school , so I got involved with the school band . I played the tuba and was named all-state , then was named musician of the year as a senior ! I now play the accordion , the tuba and some piano , too .
People have teased me my whole life about playing the tuba and accordion , but you know what ? It ’ s what makes a polka band !
So I got caught up in it because I love it . Now I play at churches , festivals and the hospital cafeteria each fall to celebrate Oktoberfest . I like to make people happy and it helps me to give back . And I ’ m proud that I was the Texas state champion for playing the accordion — two years in a row !
If I hadn ’ t gone into medicine , I would have been an orchestra conductor . Both medicine and music are team-based : a conductor orchestrates a team of musicians ; a doctor orchestrates a team of caregivers .
The future of nuclear medicine What ’ s exciting to me is how digital technology is influencing our culture . And how informed people are now , especially because of the Internet . It ’ s affecting the practice of nuclear medicine as well — from imaging to the laboratory , PET scanning , really everything .
Patients are much more tech savvy . They ’ re asking more questions , which is a good thing ! Educating patients used to be the biggest challenge , but it ’ s easier now . With the growth of nuclear medicine as a specialty , particularly PET scanning and PET / CT , we ’ re more effectively able to treat patients because the accuracy of this imaging modality is so much better than those in past decades .
PET technology is a multimillion-dollar investment . It allows us to help thousands of patients . It ’ s extremely important to stay abreast of the technological advances and bring them to patients to better their lives .
Physician management and an academic setting What attracted me to Scott & White was the value the organization brings to the community and to the region by having a hospital system managed by physicians . I don ’ t know anywhere else where you can practice quality medicine outside a major metropolitan area . And the other benefit is , you can really get to know people by practicing this kind of academic medicine in a smaller community .
The key to the success of Scott & White is the team approach to healthcare and the complex interplay between doctors . As a board member , I have a duty to serve the best interests of the organization . As a physician , I must always answer the question “ what will best meet patients ’ needs ?” As a subspecialist , I view both the patients and the doctors as my customers . I ’ ve learned a lot about the challenges in my area of specialty . My goal is to provide the best nuclear medicine services to help doctors make appropriate treatment decisions that benefit patients . ■
sw . org | Fall 09 THE CATALYST 29