Medicine III: Healing and Hope Summary and Analysis

One of Konner's friends called to discuss with him applying to medical school. Konner tried to be objective but their meeting in the Galen cafeteria was distracting to his friend surrounded by all the white coats. Konner was on call that night and had six more weeks in medicine. A patient named Charlotte dominated the rest of his stay. She was a forty-year-old woman who had an eating disorder that caused related illnesses of inflammatory bowel disease, abdominal pain, fevers and sweats, urinary and fecal urgency, burning pain in her upper belly, bulimia and disrupted body chemistry from malnourishment, anemia and other maladies. She had a psychiatric disorder associated with body image. Konner's notes about her condition ended with the comment she appreciates kind attention but Dr. Downing red-penciled it off. Konner went...