The Pleasures of Medicine

Whether chatting with grateful patients late at night or witnessing the mysterious healing powers of the human body, a physician's job can be a real high

The whole world was green. My driver's-side window let in the 3 a.m. buzz and click of a traffic signal and the surprisingly sweet smell of upper Manhattan drenched clean by the rain. Everything was so shiny and wet I had to stop a minute and just admire the green. Bone-tired but high as a kite, I still love that minute. I have never dropped acid but what drug could make that light more beautiful? I was high on 48-hours, 20 admissions, eight cases, four sets of rounds and going home. This was my training. I feel bad for the residents now — what the new restrictions on residents' hours stole they don't even know.