The Art & Science of Being a Doctor

Basic or clinical researchers are both scientists and artists, as

well. They must have an overwhelming personal passion and
vision to ask the proper question and to formulate their
hypothesis. An AIDS researcher must first master all of the
available scientific facts relevant to HIV infection to then create
a new model or laboratory technique or antiretroviral compound.
The physician-researcher must be obsessed with a dream – to
prevent or cure diabetes, breast cancer, lung cancer,
cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, epilepsy, or
autoimmune disease, for example. His obsession is not unlike
that of the greatest artists or poets.

A Good Soul

Good doctors have to be intelligent, diligent, well read, and

caring. The main drive for doctors should be that they truly want
to help others achieve mental and physical health. Kindness is a
prerequisite for good doctoring. Physicians must know how to
deal well with people of all ages and of different cultural, ethnic,
socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds. As already
mentioned, they have to know which questions to ask of which
patients and the proper manner in which to ask them. They must
be able to listen to and interpret the patient’s answers. Physicians
must be able to deal with subtleties in physical findings and in
patient’s complaints. Different patients have different
perceptions of pain, shortness of breath, pruritus, and so on. So
intelligence, compassion, a strong fund of knowledge, and good
detective work (knowing how to put symptoms and signs and

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