In Every Issue: The Lighter Side of Health Care
Way back in the 1930s, a guy named Chester Gould created a hard-boiled comic strip detective named Dick Tracy. It was a big hit. In 1946, Gould gave Tracy a new weapon in his crime-fighting crusade – a two-way radio housed in a wristwatch. This kind of communication device was almost beyond imagining at the … Read more
Once upon a time, Dr. Duke was a Californian with a love of relaxing on a quiet beach right around Malibu. It was on a normal sunny Saturday when I made that trek in the company of a few close friends, including one guy I’ll call Jake. He was a bon vivant as well as … Read more
When Antonio Vivaldi wrote his classic concerti, “The Four Seasons,” back in the early 1700s, he broke new ground musically to represent the unique aspects of winter, spring, summer and fall. Each movement captured the arrival and the “feelings” we experience as we move through the annual cycle. Of course, Vivaldi had never heard of … Read more
Took a walk around my neighborhood the other day, the sun just starting to massage my shoulders with its warmth, dispelling the morning chill. What a treat to be able to wave at a neighbor mowing his lawn and stop to exchange pleasantries with the woman who painted her front door chartreuse. It was a … Read more
Ever wonder whether you got better medical care if your doctor wore a traditional white coat or more casual attire? The editors at the Journal of the American Medical Association did. The Journal recently released a nearly 20-page dissertation on the subject. Breaking down respondents by age, sex, race, income and educational level, JAMA researchers … Read more
When Shakespeare coined the expression “salad days,” he meant youthful ardor and zeal, not the time for us to eat chopped lettuce on a dainty plate. At “casa Duke,” “salad days” might better mean “indifference bordering on active hostility.” That’s not to say I hate salads. I‘ve just always believed a good anything else beats … Read more