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Oxford Dictionary of Medical Quotations This page intentionally left blank Oxford Medical Publications Oxford Dictionary of Medical Quotations Peter McDonald 1 1 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi São Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York © Selection and arrangement Oxford University Press 2004 The moral rights of the author have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published 2004 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library ISBN 0 19 263047 4 (Hbk) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Typeset by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India Printed in Great Britain on acid-free paper by T.J. International, Padstow Dedication To my late father George McDonald (1918–1983) whose love of words both ancient and modern was as fine a legacy as any son could ask for. This page intentionally left blank Preface The Oxford Dictionary of Medical Quotations is intended to be a rich source of quotations covering a variety of medically related topics. Those selected have been deliberately kept short in an effort to highlight the pithiest phrase or the sharpest insight. Some are witty, some are maudlin, some merely factual. They have been selected on the basis of their use- fulness to modern medical authors, journalists, politicians, nurses, physios, lecturers, and even health managers, who will always have need to season their works with the clever or witty phrases of former colleagues whose intuitions still say as much today as when they were first published. Many reflect the compiler’s tastes and prejudices but there will be something for everyone within these pages. Browsing through many texts to find the most appropriate quotations to include in the Oxford Dictionary of Medical Quotationshas afforded an insight into both medical history as well as the nature of the doctors and others who have chiselled these phrases. A glance for the casual reader not looking for a specific quote will be rewarding in itself. Quotations are listed under author, with an index of keywords that permits the reader to access a number of quotes with the same keyword. Wherever possible, biographical information about the author and whence the quote originated are included, although it is acknowledged that there are several omissions in this regard. When the original source is not clear, the secondary source has been substituted if it was thought useful for further study for the reader. If the quotation was deened to merit a place in the Dictionaryeven without full reference being available, it was included. Indeed, it is not necessary for an author to be particularly well known to be in the dictionary if he or she had given birth to a bon motor a succinct phrase. The majority of the quotations come from the English-speaking medical worlds of Great Britain, Ireland, and North America but several quotes from other rich medical cultures have been included in translation. Whether readers are looking for a suitable quotation on surgery, science, kidneys, or kindness, they should find much here to satisfy. Medicine is both the narrowest and broad- est of subjects, and I have included examples of both the specific and the general. If I have failed to find that favourite concise quote, please send it fully referenced and it will be included in the next edition. Any corrections of birth dates and deaths will be most wel- come and acknowledged in subsequent editions. July 2002 Peter McDonald MBBS MS FRCS Northwick Park and St. Mark’s Hospital, Harrow, Middlesex, UK [email protected] This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgements Sister Annie Driscoll of St. Mark’s Hospital, Harrow, Middlesex, UK; Dr Neville P. Robinson, Northwick Park and St. Mark’s Hospital, Harrow, Middlesex, UK; and Dr John Ballantyne, Kensington, London, UK; Martin Baum and Kate Smith of the Oxford University Press.