Dr Pimlott makes an astute observation that family practice possesses intrinsic uncertainty and subsequent existentialism. Scientific existentialism promises to climax in the coming year as eager physicists at the European Centre for Nuclear Research seek the famed Higgs boson, or “God particle.” Why should we care? Because the energy and happiness generated in this pursuit has a long history within our very own field of medicine.
Nicolaus Copernicus, a practising generalist physician, reframed our perspective on the heavens by suggesting that the universe did not revolve around our tiny blue planet. This revolution in science is not unlike the patient-centred themes of Hippocrates, to whom we have all sworn an oath.
Family medicine boasts a long and proud history of bright minds and remarkable, practical talent. If we worry that medical students might shun the uncertainty of a generalist career, we need not be troubled. Just as string theorists revel in their mathematical eroticism, so too can primary care physicians thrive on the challenge posed by the intrinsic amorphism of the human condition.
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