"Our encounter with cancer has rounded us off; it has smoothed and polished us like river rocks."
Some of you may know Mrs. Engelhardt. All of you--unless you were absent on the day of the "cancer presentations" last year--saw her speak about her experiences in the chemo ward at Lemmen-Holton. I have gone with her to several appointments when she has received the results of her scans. I have met her oncologist. If you've gotta have an oncologist, he's a nice guy to have to deal with. But, every time I leave his office, I wonder how he does what he does every day. (He's read Emperor, by the way. Yes, I asked.)
This section, paired with the section on 307 about Thomas Lynch, gives me insight into my wonderment above. Like teaching, or any other profession, it is an art and a science. Dr. Brinker, who is Mrs. Engelhardt's oncologist, reminds me of Rikki Tikki Tavi, the mongoose from Kipling's story. Mostly, it's his eyes. But, it's also the way he laid out the plan for treatment. The swishing sound that Rikki's bottle brush tail made when he would encounter a cobra kept entering my mind. He was very matter-of-fact: here's how we are going to "corral" (his term) this. This is what we are going to next, and then, best case scenario, this is the outcome. All of this explanation while Mrs. Engelhardt and I are sitting on the edge of our seats. He does this all day long. Delivers results, lays out options while people sit in the plastic chairs contemplating life, death and all of its implications for loved ones, etc. Important work.
I like the fact that Mukherjee includes this section about the ways in which his experience has changed him and his fellows. I hope it's real. I like the fact that he takes time to reflect on his experiences. Metacognition and reflection are crucial for growth and learning. We will do a lot of this in AP Lang.
I appreciate that Mukherjee includes reflection because for so many people it is a crucial part of life. On a side note, I have found in my analysis that Mukherjee has included the life of cancer itself. Perhaps he suggests within the reading that cancer has its own awareness, which allows cancer to affect our culture, our bodies and our minds. Running with this idea, cancer is a living disease, maybe it knows us as the humans we are- weak in body but at the same time strong within ourselves. Perhaps cancer seeks to teach us ways our bodies can continue to live, for our cells and bodies to morph so we can live on, albeit in a mutated manner. For all we know of cancer, it could be teaching us the secrets of immortality.
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting point to think about. Every other kid nowadays seems to want to be a doctor, assuming the only responsibility that comes with that is having a complete understanding of science. What most people don't recognize is the other essential elements that are necessary if you wanna pursue a career in medicine. Empathy is a huge factor and Mukherjee does a nice job highlighting the emotional turmoil he felt while working in Boston. Another aspect, and my particular favorite, is the way Mukherjee highlights the thinking process behind many of these doctors and their clinical inventions. It always amazes me in the novel how these doctors draw conclusions on scientific subjects, simply based on past observation and prior knowledge. As you highlighted above, they know how to attack a problem and execute. It's something a lot of people look over and in our modern day, I'd argue it's one of the most useful skills to have.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I found it interesting how the scientific collaborations Mukherjee describes always connect to complete opposites. I picked up on the trend between Frei/Freiarch and Doll/Hill, one is always more fervent and intense with experimenting, while the other is more reserved and cautious.
Like yin and yang, Andy.
ReplyDeleteespecially effective in highlighting the thinking process is Mukherjee's use of questioning.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed the contrast that Andy mentioned, opposites attract, right? Along with the thinking processes of doctors, I had two surgeries on my hand last year, so I got to know my surgeon really well. He is also a plastic surgeon and I had the opportunity to job shadow him in his office, it was interesting to see the way he thinks and his thoughts about cancer, he deals with skin cancer and mastectomies as well, and he read Emperor, I asked him. I saw a few skin cancer cases and I saw a double mastectomy, which brings me back to Halstedt, it was very gruesome, but I can only imagine what it looked like back then!
ReplyDeleteBackpacking off that, Andy, it is the classic Don Quixote and Sancho Panza relationship- the same can be seen all across literature as it's such a realistic relationship.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Thomas Lynch section on 307. One of my favorite passages in the book! It's amazing to see the delicacy and care that Lynch and so many other doctors put into their patients, while still stating the facts.
ReplyDeleteLess than a week until test day...