As an "aside" in the dialogue which, I hope, exists between the readers and the writer of these columns, perhaps it would be worthwhile to state once again what we have been, and are, up to in our prosings.
In all sorts of tones and manners we have talked about those things in medicine which, whether in the guise of clinical observation, folklore, traditions, or history—new as well as old—are precious treasure with meaning and significance for intelligent men and women, young and old. The world of medicine is greater than the average practitioner realizes. As an ancient kingdom with a proud lineage, it possesses a humane and anecdotal literature comparable to that of the law, and I am persuaded that this has to be retold for each generation of physicians. So in such a role I have been one of the body of the secretaries of medical tradition and