About Apollo

I believe in free speech and that there should be no need for anonymity in writing. Accordingly, my identity is apparent in my web journal: these ideas and thoughts are consistent with my personal beliefs and expression in spoken word. Nonetheless, for style purposes and as a self-reminder, I have chosen the pen name “Apollo.” Apollo was a Greek God who was both a bringer of healing and plagues, a builder and a destroyer. Unlike his son Aesculapius after whom the medical field draws its model for humanistic practice, Apollo is a more controversial and less straightforward figure. However, he is, in my opinion, a more accurate representation of the modern physician, for the self-aware physician is conscientious of both the good and the harm he or she can do. It is an error to believe that we, physicians and physicians-in-training, can only do good deeds for our patients; our actions may harm them and ourselves. Accordingly, I believe it is important to be constantly reminded of the double-edged sword we carry with us in the form of our expert medical knowledge and esteemed status: it is a choice we must make to do good by our patients, our communities, and our profession.