Humanities resources to support healthcare professionals and patients
You have a big heart, said Dr Broadbent, turning a compliment into a fatal condition. Poem by Olive M Ritch, 2018. Commentary An unfortunate pun. A nice example of the confusions inherent in communicating with patients. Orcadian poet, Olive M. Ritch has written a number of poems on medical themes, and is a course tutor Read More …
When breath becomes air. It was my primary care doctor, calling with the chest X-ray result: my lungs, instead of being clear, looked blurry, as if the camera aperture had been left open too long. The doctor said she wasn’t sure what that meant. She likely knew what it meant. I knew. Lucy picked me Read More …
What the doctor said: Raymond Carver ‘He said it doesn’t look good He said in fact it looks real bad he said I counted thirty-two of them in one lung before I quit counting them I said I’m glad I wouldn’t want to know about any more there being there than that….’ Read the full Read More …
It was as the snow started falling that she blurted it out not meant for the kids, not meant for here, for the snowwoman with her pink hat and old carrot nose, And once it was out she wished she could call it back in, like a dog you could whistle to, but it wouldn’t, Read More …