How Literature Affects a Surgeon

In the “Surgeon as Priest,” Richard Selzer dives into the religious and scientific aspects of being a surgeon. He explores and divides the certain aspects of “healing” into five parts, each section demonstrating the different perspectives on healing (spiritually & scientifically) that eventually builds the metaphorical bridge between surgeon and priest. With the use of figurative language and other rhetorical devises, he connects each section of his essay to show his transformation from a scientific healer to a spiritual healer.

A medical practice that I have highly considered is general surgery. Both my grandfather and uncle are general surgeons, so the idea of following in their footsteps interested me greatly. Also, the idea of combining science and art, as doctors do, has always fascinated me and called me to this profession since a very young age. Like any doctor, the road to becoming a general surgeon is vigorous. “Surgery is a career for the committed. Much of your life is dictated by the demands of the operating room. The training is long and demanding. But for those who love it, a

I have always believed that my success is defined by my happiness. This paper will discuss my personal goals as they apply to my education and career choice of Surgical Technician, as well as some of my strengths and weaknesses that will contribute to my success.

In his essay “The Knife”, Richard Selzer uses his experiences as a surgeon and describes the process of a surgery. Throughout the essay, Selzer repeats the ideas of power and delicacy. Selzer constructs his essay by showing the power and delicacy surgeons have.

Honesty is also one of ethical consideration, a very important value and must be followed within health and social care practice because honesty is a way also how people will treat you as a person, if you started dishonesty to that person they won’t believe you in the end and honesty also an expectation of individuals receiving health and social care service. That’s why in this organisation being trustworthy and truthful to others is a fact working in health and social care setting.

When authors write medical narratives, they have to play the role of a doctor by using metaphors to explain to the readers what is happening to the

“As a surgeon you have to have a controlled arrogance. If it's uncontrolled, you kill people, but you have to be pretty arrogant to saw through a person's chest, take out their heart and believe you can fix it. Then, when you succeed and the patient survives, you pray, because it's only by the grace of God that you get there.”-Mehmet Oz. One never considers themselves able to accomplish something great until they meet someone great who has already acquired insight of the world from the other side, the side where all of the talented men dwell. A young girl does not grow up dreaming of becoming an oral surgeon; she dreams of traveling and seeing the world outside of the walls of her small town. I had already had my fair share of adventure, having more surgeries than my mother had by the time I was three months old. I had what specialists call Van der Woude Syndrome. Basically, I was the 1 in 100,000 babies in the world who happened to have this genetic disorder. A key characteristic of Van der Woude Syndrome is a cleft lip. With that being said, I had many surgeons in my lifetime, but one man stuck out. Maybe it was because it was one of the biggest surgeries I had, or maybe, just maybe it was because God had put him in my path to inspire me for greatness.

In using a first person point of view, Selzer provides a direct link between the narrator and the audience. The thoughts and emotions of the physician/surgeon aren’t filtered through the distance of a third person narrator, instead they are raw and at the moment, as the physician feels them. Selzer begins the passage by explaining why a surgeon would write. A surgeon is so used to such gory things, such as “feeling the slow slide of intestines against the back of his hand”… why would he take the time out his day to write? Selzer describes writing as a form of expression. Writing is a way to “search for some meaning in the ritual of surgery, which is at once murderous, painful, healing, and full of love.” Personally, that line was my favorite in the piece. Surgery has many implications- yes, it can kill and it can cause pain (not only to the patient, but the family of the patient), but at the same time, it is performed so that the patient can heal and suffering can end. In the next paragraph, Selzer emphasizes that point by describing the motive behind surgery. He explains how a surgery isn’t performed with the intention of cutting flesh, repairing a problem, and moving on to the next patient. The

First, _________________________________. Throughout the entire novel, he recounts a plethora of personal medical experiences derived from his ears surrounded by and immersed in surgery. Furthermore, he clearly lays down his credibility towards the beginning of the novel by stating, “I am a surgical resident, very nearly at the end of my eight years of training in general surgery… At other times I have been a laboratory scientist, a public health researcher, a student of philosophy and ethics, and a health policy adviser in government. I am also a son of two doctors” (Gawande 7). By stating his expansive experiences, people are more adept to agree with his displayed views later in the writing. Medicine is a controversial topic, and introducing these past experiences plays a critical role in

Throughout my experience as a surgical patient, I always noticed three things my medical team never failed to perform: inform, educate, and care for me. Through my frequent visits to the hospital I began to notice that these ideals were essential in every successful physician-patient relationship. As I progressed in my career as a student, I came to realize that the academic and extracurricular activities I was involved in were helping me perform those very qualities.

Dana Gioia conveys concern for modern society through “Why literature Matters.” Gioia enhances his article through use of statistics, along with refrences and educated diction to support his claim that the youth is deterrating with a lack of reading. Gioia’s proper use of respected studies, articles and surveys aid his concern for the youth of America because it gives him credibility and solid evidence that give a firm backbone to his claim. Gioia refrences surveys and studies by the “National Confrence of State Legislatures,” “Survey of Public Participation of the arts,” “National Association of Manufactures,” among other highly raved groups.

Have you ever thought about how when authors write about how we are harming the environment, how people view that writing? Or even better have you thought about how the author wants us to think about it? Ecocritisism is when people study literature and the environment from the authors point of view. I read three articles and they were about, Chemicals; People hurting the environment, the benefits of nature, and what could happen in the form of a fiction book.

The field of medicine has been constantly progressing through the centuries with surgery, as one of its most fundamental structure of medicine. Cutting people open to find the harm and relieving them of it. But as the field of surgery progress over time; the surgical environment has developed a gender sphere that makes it difficult for women to become surgeons. The glass ceiling is a political metaphor that exists to explain the gender disadvantages within disciplined jobs (The Glass Ceiling Effect*). Women today, regardless of their qualifications face an obstacle that “appear[s] to be a distinctively gender phenomenon” (1) in any highly disciplined jobs, especially in the field of surgery.

One might think of surgery as simple as going to the hospital and receiving a complex operation that saves ones life or improves their quality of life. What most people do not realize is the hardships that those people go through unless they had surgery performed on them themselves, and same thing for the surgeons it is not easy for them as well, even though they are professional and highly trained.

Honesty can help in prior situations when it comes in need. Ben Carson had to be Honest, without being honest he wouldn't be a doctor. On page 123 The Bijani Twins: Ben's Toughest Case Yet It says “Laleh and Ladan were bright, well-spoken, warm, friendly, and brave- and very determined to go through with the operation.” “Ben told them once more the odds were not good.” This means that Ben had to be honest and not say “yeah you'll be