My father, my mentor: the consummate gentleman; an honest scientist and incredibly intelligent, compassionate and generous man. Dr David Franklyn Cadogan (1943-2021)
In the critical care specialties we have to make things happen, sometimes this involves life-saving actions that may have never before performed. We must be ready, after all, in the words of Peter Safar, "it's up to us to save the world!"
Do we accept our fate, knowing we – you and I – will be dead and decomposing by the time the real horror sets in? Or do we love the land under our feet enough, the sparkle of cool water, the colour of a billion birds and insects, and, of course, our fellow humans
Overnight I was confronted by an angry and aggressive middle-aged male weighing 183kg (400lb). Obesive: descriptive term for corpulent persons prone to using insulting, coarse or derogatory language
Aequanimitas, a Latin word derived from aequo animo, "with even mind", meaning equanimity or calmness of mind. Excerpts from Sir William Osler's Valedictory Address at the University of Pennsylvania on May 1st, 1889
The doctor stood impassively before the wildly agitated "speeding" patient. She was ranting and gesticulating aggressively, with eyes wide and teeth flashing. Unsurprisingly, words alone did nothing to calm her down.
Not everyone is so blessed by fortune as to have teachers as inventive and inspiring as the great Tim Koelmeyer. Such was his prescience, he foresaw the day when the equanimity of his students would be ravaged by smells from hell.