The faces of family medicine: David White MD CCFP FCFP

The patient had a subarachnoid hemorrhage in the old country, and scarring, and with the scarring came the seizures, and the seizures were relentless; they sapped him, drained him, and his only venue was the emergency department, where rescue medication would be given and quell him and his levels would be checked and the odd thing is that his levels were always normal. Dr White picked him up as an orphan patient, and then a kind of magic: Dr White saw him once a month, and with that connection, with that developing relationship, the seizures stopped and never came again, and this is the sort of experience Dr White treasures, that therapeutic bond that can transcend, or at least supersede, illness. Forming a connection with patients is sometimes all Dr White can offer them, but it is a world: in this world he might be surprised, or disappointed, or genuinely touched, as when his patient comes into his office and is looking for his help, as all his patients are, and this business can be powerful, the connection can be powerful, with births and deaths he presides over, with the usual griefs and the small helps and occasional grace. Dr White also plays guitar, at one point was a part-time physician and full-time musician, and joy informs both practices, but he turned back to medicine because he felt he needed to be of service and also because he was eager to manage problems, with a longitudinal mind and a fascination for how hard medical science interacts with emotion. And that’s the very music he prefers to play: the blues, arms-dirty blues, and he has a photo in his office that his patient took, one of him with his guitar, rocking out, and this is one of the treasures Dr White has accumulated.

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