I would like to see the day when somebody would be appointed surgeon somewhere who had no hands, for the operative part is the least part of the work.
Interpretation
The essence of a surgeon's role extends beyond technical skills; it involves understanding, empathy, and decision-making.
Harvey Cushing's quote highlights that the role of a surgeon is not solely defined by their ability to perform surgery with their hands but rather encompasses a broader range of qualities, including critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and the capacity to lead a medical team. This suggests that a physician's effectiveness is determined more by their overall approach to patient care rather than just their technical abilities.
In practice
In a medical conference discussing the qualities of a good surgeon.
In these days when science is clearly in the saddle and when our knowledge of disease is advancing at a breathless pace, we are apt to forget that not all can ride and that he also serves who waits and who applies what the horseman discovers.
A physician is obligated to consider more than a diseased organ, more even than the whole man - he must view the man in his world.
Everybody knows if you are too careful you are so occupied in being careful that you are sure to stumble over something.
. . . is to attempt seeing Truth without knowing Falsehood. It is the attempt to see the Light without knowing Darkness. It cannot be.
Braininess is not attractive unless combined with some signs of elegance; class.
One of the most obvious facts about grownups to a child is that they have forgotten what it is like to be a child.
The free exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world.
You sensed that you should be following a different path, a more ambitious one, you felt that you were destined for other things but you had no idea how to achieve them and in your misery you began to hate everything around you.
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