Bruce Short, M.D. was unexpectedly medically retired from the practice of medicine in the spring of 2012 at the age of 61. He went from having a busy internal medicine practice for the previous 35 years to having nothing to do, except see his own multitude of doctors. Down in his lonely man cave he initially web surfed and took many online courses on computer programming and artificial intelligence. Quickly, he came face-to-face with the wall of reality that only learning was not enough. He was at a loss until he finally figured it out. He needed to create, but what?
In the spring of 2014 the increasing sunlight’s warmth directing the flowers to bloom and the birds to sing brought life anew to the old sick doctor’s soul. He dusted himself off and decided to write a book, a book for his kids and grandkids, which quickly transitioned into a book for his previous patients and then his essays self-expanded to the general public. He started writing about his experiences of having to be on the other side, the inside of the examination gown and the difficulty he had in making that transition. He was now the patient and wanted to be treated as such, but at his core he was a doctor.
Many of his other essays contain actual patient encounters, both his successes and his failures. He writes with the appropriate self-deprecating humor, but also with sadness on his failures and how he learned from them. The doctor states that while writing this book he laughed and cried. You will too.
The reader will get an inside look at a boy growing up in rural Kansas, leaving home and maturing in college and medical school. His essays show his continued growth in his medical practice in a metropolitan area, and finally his acceptance of his own illness. The doctor’s insight and experiences will resonate with anyone who has been a patient or a medical professional or is reflecting on the meaning of life, love and human kindness. Lastly as an added bonus, he reflects on where our computers are taking us. His conclusion and warning will shock you.