Doctors Afield

Between 1952 and 1969, the New England Journal of Medicine carried a column describing physicians who were leaders in their medical fields and well known for their contributions in the arts, politics, business, and religion, to name a few. With the similar theme in mind, the Program for Humanities in Medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine amassed a collection of short autobiographies and biographies of physicians with interests outside of medicine. This collection, titled Doctors Afield, details the lives and philosophies of twenty-seven contemporary physicians whose extraordinary talents, imagination, and dedication have complemented their work in medicine and have also acted as a springboard for other endeavors. The editors explained that the intent of this book was to portray the lives of exemplary, yet modest, physicians who have not already shared their experiences through their own writing. The criteria for inclusion were graduation from medical school and a reputation in a field outside of medicine. The subjects or their biographers were asked to describe what they had obtained from their dual careers and how their second careers had helped their practice of medicine and their patients. The interests of these physicians are diverse, and are categorized into eight general areas: the visual arts, music, literature, astronautics, the spiritual life, government and university, collecting, and fun and games. Among these honored physicians are Dr. Wayne Southwick, an orthopedic surgeon whose sculptures adorn the grounds of the Yale-New Haven Medical Center. Sir Roy Calne is a British transplant surgeon who gets to know his patients by painting them. Inspired by the life and work of Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Dr. Andrea Baldeck has dedicated her career to practicing medicine in Third World nations. She has photographed many of her:patients for her pictorial volume The Heart of Haiti, the sales of which have gone to the foundation that supports the Hospital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti. While these physicians have enhanced their capacity to serve their patients through art, Drs. Ray Hammond and Gloria WhiteHammond, both ordained ministers, demonstrate how medicine and faith in God can heal the body and spirit. Dr. Alfred Gilbert influenced generations of people into careers in science and technology through his inventions. Dubbed the "Tycoon of Toys," Dr. Gilbert utilized his training in science and medicine to become an entrepreneur and creator of educational toys such as the original Erector Set, chemistry sets, and the American Flyer train. Among the strengths of this book are the relative uniformity and cohesiveness of the physicians' biographies. Highlighting their talents and achievements are examples of art created by the physicians, which appear in color plates and in black and white photographs throughout the book. One of the shortcomings is that the editors chose only twentyseven physicians. Undoubtedly, there are many worthy physicians who are not included in this volume. Nevertheless, the editors amassed a fascinating group of individuals with inspiring lives to round out their volume, Doctors Afield. Erica Dun Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health